The Stars Shine For You
by ausllyxaustinally
Summary: Ally discovers the worst news of her life and must learn how to deal and cope with it. Austin and Ally become more than just friends. (Based on my one shot Look How The Stars Shine For You)
1. Chapter 1

_**Read Me**_**: Alright, So the one-shot became a story! (If you'd like to read the one-shot just go to all of my stories and find Look How The Stars Shine For You, the title did not change.) I did a lot of thinking and decided I would make this a story. And this will absolutely play out exactly like the one shot, obviously, I am just sharing the full story now. But I'd like to share a few words with you, if you don't mind. **

**Here it goes: I want to admit that I've never had Cancer. I'm very fortunate and my heart aches for those who have had to battle it. However, I do know what it's like to have Cancer in the family. My Dad actually passed away last year from a two year battle of Lymphoma Cancer, which is another Cancer in the blood, so I absolutely do know the pain of Cancer and what it's like to live with somebody who has had it and the pain it brings when you lose somebody to it. With this being said, I cannot guarantee that this story will be completed, I'll do my best, but writing about it brings back memories and I might just feel like I can't write about it anymore, though I'll try to complete it! I also want to add that this isn't meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone in any way at all, I am apologizing in advance if this touchy topic does happen to offend you or trigger awful memories. I mean no harm! I also wanted to come out and say that if you know anyone that is dealing with a family member, a friend, or even battling Cancer themselves, to just simply be there for them. There's not much you can say, I get that, but a lot of people kind of brush it to the side or get awkward, but please try not to. Let them know that you are there and willing to do whatever it takes for them to feel a little bit okay, help them carry the load. People often forget that when it comes to Cancer, metaphorically it's not just the patient that gets diagnosed, it's the entire family or friend group as well. It affects everyone. Cancer is a very hard, complicated, terrible thing and it should not be wished upon anyone ever, enemy or not. So, just be there for whoever it is. .There.**

**Thank you if you took the time to read that. **

**Chapter One.**

Ally stared at the doctor on the opposite side of his desk. He was talking to her Mom speaking in all sorts of medical terms. The only thing Ally could think about was if she'd stayed in that Medical Studies class, she might've been able to understand what he was saying. But she did know it was bad. She knew that something was wrong. Why else would he have booked a consultation?

Ally forced herself out of her thoughts and focused on her doctor again. "...In this case, Ally's blood stem cells in her bone marrow created abnormal blood cells. We call them leukemia cells. The leukemia cells will crowd out all of the normal blood cells inside Ally's body, thus making it very difficult for red and white blood cells to do what they're supposed to." It was silent. "I apologize for being the one to have to tell you that Ally is being diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, but we are going to give our all to fix her." The Doctor looked at Ally, smiling softly.

"I'm dying?" Ally blurted and ignored the broken weep that escaped her mother's mouth.

The doctor gave her a soft look, "We are going to make sure that doesn't happen," he replied.

"What are her chances to survive?" asked Penny, Ally's mother, pressing her lips together in a thin line, eyes watery.

"The chances are actually quite high and we can't guarantee anything, but generally around 80%," the doctor replied, "Although this may be beaten, there is a 40% chance that Ally could relapse and be diagnosed again."

"Can you prevent a relapse?" asked Penny.

"I'm sorry, but just as Cancer comes and goes, we have no control." the doctor answered. Ally's palms were clammy, her heart was racing, and her ear drums were throbbing. She was tired of listening to this.

Several questions later, they were finally leaving the office. Ally was holding a paper in her hands, one that proved to her that she could possibly die within the next little while. Ally couldn't believe this; she had so many dreams to accomplish yet. Austin's musical career could be threatened by this! If everything crashes and burns, it'll be her fault. She blamed it on her body, considering it doesn't know how to produce cells properly.

Ally slumped into the passenger seat of the car, her eyes staring down at the statement of her diagnoses. There were so many people to tell and also so many words she didn't want to repeat. "It'll only make it worse when you stare at it," said Penny, but Ally could see her wiping tears from her cheeks from the corner of her eye.

"I'm processing," Ally murmured. When Ally finished staring at the sheet and stopped thinking long enough to look around, she realized her mother had taken her to an ice cream shop. She wasn't in the mood for ice cream, but she orders a Fruity Mint Swirl anyways. 

Penny is trying to help Ally feel better by discussing how awesome Ally's eighteenth birthday was, which had been yesterday. Ally nods numbly, but silently wishes she had never turned eighteen. She wants to be seventeen again.

Ally notices her ice cream is melting and a droplet runs down her cone and falls onto the piece of paper. She rubs the droplet off of the paper and her breath catches in her throat when the stain is highlights the words _Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. _Ally feels her stomach turn upside down but somehow she manages not to vomit in front of the everyone seated in the same ice cream parlor.

"We should go," Ally murmurs. Penny agrees, tossing her dirty napkin into the trash again.

"We should go to the mall," Penny grins at her daughter, nudging her arm slightly.

Ally's cupping her cheek in her hand with an elbow leaned up against the door while she watches the city pass by through her window. "We should just go home."

Penny doesn't say anything as she looks out the windshield and drives herself and her daughter home, both sitting in the car with aches in their hearts. They both wondered how Ally's father was going to react.

When Ally gets home she tries to bolt to her room, but she notices her Dad come to the entrance. "Hey, work ended early. How'd it go?" he questioned. Ally shares a glance with her Mother who sent her a look that told her Lester needed to know.

"Honey, let's take this to the living room," Penny said, watching her husband gulp. Penny led the way, Lester and Ally following behind. Ally dragged her feet, wanting to stop time.

Ally sat alone on one couch while Penny grabbed Lester's hand, holding it as she did her best not to tear up. "Lester, honey, I'm not sure how we can possibly tell you this," Penny couldn't help it, a tear rolled down her cheek. Ally sighed, dropping her gaze to her lap because she realized how much pain she was throwing upon everyone.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Lester said, his voice shaking fearfully. Ally looked up at her Dad and tears were already swelling her eyes. Ally nodded.

"Yes, Dad," Ally said. She stood up and hesitantly handed her father the paper. Lester's eyes coincidentally landed to the stain on the paper. He saw the three awful words and a palm went to his mouth as he tried to muffle a sob that slipped out his mouth before he could hold it back. Penny joined into the crying, rubbing her husband's back comfortingly but a backrub can't stop the pain, a backrub can't take away the fact that his daughter could die. Seeing her parents crying in front of her made tears moisten her cheeks, "I'm so sorry." Ally whispered, shaking her head as she apologized.

Penny and Lester jumped up from their seats, wrapping their arms around their daughter. "Don't you apologize to me, Ally-Cat," whispered Lester through his weeps. Ally nodded into his chest, accepting the hugs. She wondered if hugs cured Cancer.

Her parents continued to weep. _Guess not_, she thought to herself.

**. . . . **

"Are you going to tell her?" Trish questioned, excitedly. Austin laughed at the Latina.

"Next week," he admitted, "We always spend Wednesday's together, figured it would be the perfect time to tell her how I feel." He glanced over Trish's shoulder and a grin crossed his lips, "Ally!"

Ally's grin was big, "Hey!"

"How are you feeling today?" Trish asked, "What did that doctor want?"

Ally shook her head as she twisted numbers into her combination, pulling her locker open and grabbing her Science book, "Oh, he just said I need a lot of sleep. It's probably because I do homework and extra schoolwork all night."

"Extra schoolwork?" Trish grimaced at her, "Why are you my friend?"

Ally laughed softly, "You love me."

_I know I do, _Austin thought to himself. "Well, that's good it was nothing too serious." He thinks Ally freezes for a moment but when he checks again, she's still collecting stuff from her locker and nodding her head.

"Did I miss anything in Science yesterday?" she questioned Austin, shutting her locker.

Austin shrugged, "How should I know?"

"You're right. Why would you know? You never pay attention!" she mumbled. Austin smiled proudly. "You know, you should start paying attention," she told him, "sometimes I'm not going to be at school."

Austin had no idea what she really meant so he waved a hand dismissively at her, "I'll make do."

Ally murmured, "Yeah...You'll have to."

"I heard we have a substitute today," Austin commented, after they'd waved goodbye to Trish and made their way down the halls.

"Ugh," Ally grunted.

"What are you grunting about? This is great!" he grinned. His grin faltered as he added, "I hate Ms. Jackson."

"I love her!" Ally exclaimed, "She's been my science teacher since ninth grade! I buy her appreciation cards and bake her cupcakes every year," Ally said proudly.

"That's not something you should go around telling people," said Austin, "Nobody likes a teacher's pet."

Ally slipped a laugh and rolled her eyes. They walked into the classroom and took their seats at their lab table. Austin and Ally talk about random things starting with songwriting and ending with raccoons for an odd reason before the bell goes and class has begun.

The substitute has given instruction and Ally is instructing Austin how to do the experiment properly. "No, Austin!" Ally shrieked, before he was already backing away as the chemicals spilled over the table. She gave him a dark look.

"You said to pour it!" he shrieked.

"Not all of it! We still have four other test tubes to fill!" she shrieked. He shrugged, reaching over to grab paper towels and clean the table. The teacher walks over with her papers, gives both of them a look and marks something down on a paper before walking away. "If that was a bad grade...then I hate you."

"Nobody hates Austin Moon," he grinned teasingly at her.

"I just might," she replied. Austin scoffed. Ally took off her goggles for a moment when Austin started to laugh. "What?"

"You just...You have red welts in the form of lab goggles on your face!" he cackled, trying to contain it but he couldn't. Ally smacked him with her text book and he winced. "hey..." he whined, rubbing his arm.

The two are interrupted from their experiment when Ally is called down to the office. Ally frowns in confusion, she glances over at Austin who is confused too. "Looks like you'll have to make do sooner than you thought," she said slyly. Austin rolled his eyes, shoving her lightly. She giggled lightly before making her way out of the classroom. Austin cleared his throat and stared at the piece of paper that Ally had been holding.

"How do you.." he mumbled, rubbing fingers through his hair as he tried to figure the experiment out by himself.

Ally makes it to the office where the Principle guides her into her office. "Your mother phoned us just a few moments ago, Ally," she said softly. Ally's face paled and the confused look faltered. Ally played with her fingers. "The school is here for you and we want you to know you've got our support. You're a big part of Marino High School. You're a wonderful girl and student and I'm proud that you're one of our students." said the principle, smiling at Ally. "This a very difficult transition for you and we'll all be here. Would you like the students to know?"

Ally's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No, not yet anyways. I haven't even told my friends. I'm not ready yet." said Ally. The principle nodded understandingly.

"That's perfectly fine," replied her principle, "When are you due for surgery?"

"Two weeks," Ally mumbled, sighing slightly.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine. I believe in you. The school believes in you. Your friends and family do, too," the principle said. Ally smiled gratefully. "Well, I'll let you get back to class. Don't be afraid to tell your friends, they'll understand."

Ally nodded, thanking the principle before walking back to class. She thought about it as she travelled down the halls. How would they react? Austin would be devastated, Trish would be totally broken, and she's not close to Dez but she knows he'll be upset, too.

"What was that about?" inquired Austin when Ally came back, putting on her goggles.

"Oh, nothing. I just aced my math final and got 100% on an essay and she was congratulating me on it," Ally said.

"Of course," Austin grinned. Ally smiled at him, ignoring the guilt that was pulling on her heart.

Ally looked at the experiment, "Austin!"

"What!" he replied.

"You didn't do anything!" she shrieked.

"Well, of course not, you were gone and I don't speak French," he said, holding up the paper.

"It's written in English," she said confused, glancing at the paper.

"Doesn't look like it," he mumbled. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Great, now we've fallen behind. Why do bad things happen to me?" she grumbled. Austin rolled his eyes, laughing.

"Bad things don't happen to you," he said. Ally looked at him as he picked up his pencil, scribbling something down onto the paper. She stared at the side of his face, her heart saddening. _He has no clue just how bad I have it right now, _thought Ally.

She focused on the experiment, figuring Austin should just sit and watch, that way things would be done sooner. They got their results and scrawled it onto their papers. They cleaned up the station just in time to hand in their papers and leave class.

"I'll see you at my gig performance tonight!" Austin winked at her before bolting to gym class. Ally waved numbly, standing in the middle of the hallway and watching him leave. She had no just clue how she would tell her friends. Austin is optimistic and outgoing, the news of what is happening to her just might destroy that. She can't help but feel guilt.

**. . . . . .**

"How did your friends take it?" asked Lester, munching on his dinner.

Ally sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I didn't tell them."

"Allyson," Penny said, giving her a look.

"I know," Ally sighed, "I'm just not ready."

"They deserve to know," Penny said.

"Penny, leave the girl alone. She'll talk to them when she's ready to," Lester defended her. Ally smiled at her Dad before finishing her meal.

Changing the subject, Ally said, "I got an A on my calculus test."

"Again? That's awesome!" Penny praised her daughter.

"What's the difference between this test and the last hundred tests?" Lester abruptly asked.

"Just making conversation, Dad," Ally said. Lester shrugged, mentioning she's doing so well, and then continuing on his meal before going in for seconds.

The rest of the night was simple. Ally went out and watched Austin at his gig, she came back and did her homework, scribbled down a song, watched TV, and listened to music, but sleeping was hard tonight. She couldn't get to sleep and/or she couldn't stay asleep. She was constantly thinking through how she would mention the news to her friends. She kept analyzing over why it was her that had to destroy their happy lives.

"This sucks," she mumbled, combing her fingers through her hair as she stared at the ceiling. Tears rolled down her cheeks but she breathed through them, telling herself not to become negative. She didn't want this to change her. The doctor told her it would, but she was going to try her best to stay optimistic and happy.

But how?


	2. Chapter 2

Trish was doodling in her notebook when the teacher suddenly called upon her for the answer. "Uh...It...I..." she sputtered, waiting for Ally to jump in and save the day but she never did. Trish swallowed hard before giving an awkward grin.

"This is why we pay attention," said the English teacher. Trish slowly nodded, rolling her eyes once the teacher had turned his back on her. Trish turned to give Ally a scowl, angry that she didn't save her from embarrassment that's when the scowl contorted into a look of confusion. Ally wasn't the same today; she was cupping her cheek with her palm, elbow resting on the table, her eyes were fluttering, staring the whiteboard but the look in those brown orbs were faded. She wasn't even taking notes like she did every class.

_But Ally always pays attention, _Trish thought to herself, confusedly. Trish stared at Ally for a few more moments before shaking her head and looking to the board. When the teacher hands over a work assignment, Trish waits for the class to begin their chatter and then scoots over to Ally's desk.

"Ally," Trish said. Ally's eyes fluttered again and she just noticed the paper that was sitting on her desk waiting for her to scribble something onto it. Ally shook her head and then looked at Trish. "Ally, you didn't listen at all. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ally replied, "I'm just not feeling well."

"Again?" Trish arched her eye brows, "Ally, you keep getting sick. For the last couple of months. Are you sure you're alright?"

Ally swallowed hard, "Yeah."

"Well, If you say so," Trish shrugged, before focusing on her paper. "Are you excited for tonight?"

Ally yawned, "What's tonight?"

"Well, Austin told you that he needed to tell you something, didn't he?" Trish grinned at her. Ally looked at her best friend, confused and slowly nodded.

"Yeah...So? He probably wrote a song and feels insecure about it," Ally said, recalling the last couple of times he'd written a song and needed help on it.

"Are you sure that's it?" Trish questioned, "If you ask me, Austin might want to tell you something else," Trish winked.

Ally didn't catch onto the hint and just shrugged, "I'm not sure what he needs. I'm kinda not up to it, if you ask me."

Trish stared at her best friend and suddenly felt a little bit concerned. "So, you're really not feeling well, huh?"

Ally looked up and into her best friend's eyes, "No, Trish. I'm not."

"Well, let's hope you get better soon. You should start getting more rest. I think you shouldn't write songs in the middle of the night, it's probably the reason you're immunity is low." Trish said. Ally slowly nodded. She'd been dropping subtle hints and clues about what was really happening but none of her friends caught on. Ally took a deep breath. She realized that for them to figure it out, she was going to need to be blunt. She'll need to tell them directly and she knew it was going to have to be a some point this week considering she was in for surgery next week.

. . . . . . .

"Hey," Austin said, walking through her front door. "Are you alone?" he questioned.

Ally nodded, "Yeah. My Dad took my Mom out to see a movie tonight. They needed a break from..._things_."

Austin didn't ask about what kind of 'things'. He nodded in reply, throwing himself down onto the couch. "What do you want to do?" he questioned, folding his arms behind his head.

"I don't know. You said you had something to tell me tonight? Wanna start with that?" Ally questioned. Austin's face paled. He was kind of hoping he could tell her when the time was right. He figured it would've been after a deep and thoughtful talk or after watching a movie, maybe even while playing music, but not right now. He started to panic.

"Oh...I...I..." he stammered before gulping, "I wanted to tell you...that...Just that I've been pretty worried about you and I'm glad you're okay." he said, smiling nervously. Ally looked at him before looking at her lap and nodding awkwardly. He sat up. "You are okay, though...right? Trish told me earlier that you weren't feeling well again. You seemed fine in Science?"

Ally forced a smile, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just...I guess my immunity is pretty low from being exhausted all the time. Stupid homework."

Austin laughed slightly. Ally felt guilty. She could've told him. She did trust him a lot and he deserved to know, but she also knew that she should tell all of her friends at once because she couldn't decide who deserved to hear it first.

"Let's watch a movie," Austin suggested. Ally nodded, snuggling into a blanket on the couch while Austin searched the shelf for a decent movie.

. . . . . . .

"So," Trish slapped Austin's arm the next day, Dez standing on her other side. "How did it go? What did she say?" Trish and Dez rocked on their feet excitedly.

Austin shut his locker, slightly louder than normal. They jumped a bit. He sighed. "I didn't tell her."

"What?" they chorused, looks of disappointment on their faces.

"I couldn't do it," Austin said sadly, "I was going to and I had practiced in the mirror and I was sure I could do it, but it just didn't happen. I...totally chickened out."

"Why did you freak out? It's not like Ally doesn't like you back," said Dez.

"That _is_ the thing, Dez. Ally might not like me back and I'll be the one who wrecked our friendship and partnership," Austin said.

"Ally doesn't tell me about her crushes ever, but I know she likes you." Trish told him, "She's happier when you're around."

Austin smiled slightly but it wasn't enough to cheer him up because he still didn't know if Ally really did share mutual feelings. "I'll try to tell her on the weekend maybe," Austin decided and they nodded just as Ally walked up.

"Ally! You look awful!" Trish shrieked as the trio surrounded her worriedly. Ally was pale and her eyes were underlined with dark circles.

"I didn't sleep," Ally admitted, shoving her bag into her locker and swapping it for textbooks.

"Why?" Austin asked.

"I just had a lot on my mind," Ally said. She couldn't tell them that it was really because she was trying to find a way to tell them what was really going on with her. She was too afraid to break them but she also knew if she didn't mention a word and they had to find out from teachers, peers, or even her parents, it would hurt them even more.

"You should try meditating," Dez suggested, "It empties the mind, you know I'm actually-"

"If you say that you're some sort of internal soul-whisperer, I will hit myself," Ally told him. Dez glowered at her. How did she know he was going to say that?

"Maybe you should've stayed home and gotten some sleep," Austin said, "You look really tired."

Ally shook her head, "No, I'm missing too much school. Then I'll just have more homework and it'll just keep piling on me. It's better to just get through the day and sleep later."

Her friends didn't argue and only nodded. Soon enough, the bell had rung and they scurried to their classes. Ally dropped down into her seat, folding her arms and laying her head into them. Austin sat next to her, opening his textbook before glancing over at her.

He sighed, "Ally, you should really get sleep. This isn't good. You told me yourself that your immunity is low because you keep ditching out on sleeping properly."

Ally's breath caught in her throat. She really hated that her friends believed her lies but what else could she have told them? Ally slowly lifted her head and looked at him. "I'll sleep when I get home," she said again. Austin stared at her worriedly and didn't even stop staring when the teacher walked in and began her lecture.

. . . . . .

**Saturday.**

_Meet me in the Practice Room in 1 hour. I need to tell u something. -Ally._

Ally's thumb scanned over the send button for a couple minutes before she gulped and clicked it. She watched as the small 'Delivered!' popped up underneath her text. Ally's heart was thumping loudly in her chest.

"You look like you just committed a crime," Lester commented, munching on his toast. Ally looked at her Dad before sighing.

"I just told Trish, Dez, and Austin to meet me in the Practice Room in an hour. I'm going to tell them." Ally said, swallowing hard.

"Oh, honey, everything will work out," Penny said, smiling comfortingly at her daughter. Ally sighed and nodded.

"I know they won't be mad, but I just don't want to hurt them." Ally said.

"They're gonna hurt no matter how you tell them," Penny said as Lester nodded in agreement. Ally sighed.

"I'm going to get ready," Ally said, excusing herself from the table and making her way up the stairs. She sprawled out on her bed and stared at the ceiling until her phone dinged thrice. Ally looked at the messages.

_Got it! - Austin_

_But it's so early...fine... - Trish._

_O.K. - Dez_

Ally took a deep breath, exiting the group conversation. She looked over to her desk and saw her scattered papers. She got up and looked at them. She gazed upon a couple of songs she wrote before she knew about the bad news. She sighed sadly.

She got dressed and tugged her hair up into a pony tail. She got to the practice room and waited before Austin strolled into the room, followed by Dez and then Trish. Austin gave her a grin, "Hey Ally, you wanted to talk to us?"

Ally slowly nodded, standing up. "Yes." She felt guilty to wipe those smiles from their faces, but she didn't have a choice anymore. She had dragged this out for an entire week and they all deserved to know now. Ally took a moment to study their faces, wanting to keep the image of their smiles in her mind forever.

"I have a job interview in two hours and I still need to prepare for that, so make this quick," Trish teased with a small grin but Ally didn't smile, though she did nod.

"Alright," Ally took a deep breath, "I lied to you guys."

"What?" Austin frowned as did Trish and Dez.

Ally slowly nodded, gulping down her heart that was nearly throbbing inside her throat. "I should've told you last week," Ally shook her head, "But I didn't...I did go to that doctor but he didn't say that I was getting sick because I'm so exhausted all the time. It's a lot worse than that." Ally paused, "I was just diagnosed with Leukemia last week."

The silence was so loud that it made Ally's muscles go stiff while it crawled upon her body. None of them said a word, it was just blank stares. Trish broke the silence into pieces as she croaked, "You have what?"

Ally just stared back at her best friend, not wanting to repeat it. Ally couldn't even build up a fake smile to pretend she was alright, because she was scared out of her head. Trish's eyes were full of salty tears by now and they were ready to drop down her cheeks. Her best friend had Cancer.

Dez had a pale face but was expressing a look of sympathy and sadness. "Ally," he mumbled, not knowing what to say to her exactly. Ally pressed her lips together, holding one of her arms against her side as she looked to her feet and nodded.

Austin couldn't get his lungs to expand. He wasn't breathing at all. He had made up a plan in his head that he was going to take her to the Miami Beach this afternoon and tell her that he wanted to be more than friends, that he felt he really did love her, but now he was very afraid to love her at all. He was afraid to lose her and what that would do to him. He was afraid of what she would go through. He was afraid of what would happen to her well-being. He was afraid that she would stop writing songs. He was afraid that she would be a different person. He was afraid that his career would fall apart. Austin was always confident and fearless, but for the first time in his life, he felt _afraid_. Of everything.

"I'm really sorry," Ally said, tears finally burning her eyes so brightly that the trio could see their reflection in her tears before the tears came running down her cheeks, one after the other.

In sync, her three best friends all came towards her, wrapping their arms around her and holding her tightly. She accepted their hugs and wished there was a way that Cancer was cured through hugs, but as she stood their crying in the small circle they'd created around her, she knew hugs did not do that at all.

Austin felt like he was going to lose all the contents in his stomach but he forced it down. Trish couldn't get the tears to stop running. Dez just simply didn't know what to say or how to feel. He and Ally weren't as close to her as the rest of them were, but he still felt the impact of this news affect him deeply.

After 3 minutes and 23 solid seconds, they pulled away from her. Trish is smearing the wetness all over her face, wishing it would stop, wishing time would freeze. "You should've told us sooner," she whimpered.

"I didn't know how," Ally choked out. Austin wanted to cut his throat open and tear away the lump that had nestled itself inside. When he couldn't take it any longer, he let the tears go down his cheeks. He shouldn't be ashamed. The girl he loved and still loves just told him she had Cancer. An illness that could kill her if it wanted to. He wouldn't let it happen.

"We'll always be here," Dez said. Dez was never the mature, compassionate, understanding one of the group. He never took responsibility or nurtured somebody else's feelings. He never took the time to be serious and show somebody that he cared, but today he did. And for an odd reason, nobody was surprised by this behavior. They just took it and accepted it, because it was needed right now.

"He's right," Trish wept and Austin could only find the ability to nod because he knew that if he spoke one word he'd probably double over in chest-stabbing sobs.

Ally nodded her head slowly, catching her tears with the back of her hand. "I can't do this alone," she sobbed.

"You won't have to," Austin finally blurted, trying to muffle the sounds of his sobs by wrapping his arms around Ally and burying his face into her shoulder. Ally gripped onto him tightly as they both allowed each other to cry.

Soon enough, Austin had pulled away and they composed themselves. It had fallen silent again besides the sound of sniffles and shaky breaths. "I'm going in for surgery next week," Ally stated, "I was wondering if you guys would like to come."

"Definitely," the trio agreed, nodding their heads.

. . . . .

Penny was already waiting for her daughter in the doorway when Ally walked inside. Penny's eyes automatically filled with tears when she saw her daughter's red, puffy face. "How did they take it?"

Ally managed a small laugh, "As best as they could."

Penny nodded, smiling slightly through the tears that rolled from her eyes and dropped off her chin. "I told you everything would work out."

"It didn't work out, Mom," Ally said, shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears once again, "It didn't work out because I'm still sick and I'm still dying and I just wrecked everyone's lives!" her voice broke at the end of her sentence.

Penny sobbed, wrapping her arms around Ally but Ally pushed her Mom away and ran up the stairs and shut the door behind her. Ally didn't hold back anything, she sobbed and didn't even care that it was so loud that it practically shook the entire house.

Penny and Lester both knocked on Ally's door, begging for her to let them in. Ally ignored them, not finding a source of energy to pull herself up from the bed and open that door. Finally, Lester had used a screw driver to open her locked bedroom door and they allowed themselves to console their daughter. It started out trying to make her feel better, but ended with the three of them all crying together.


	3. Chapter 3

Ally's hands were shaking as she laid in the hospital bed. Everytime a bed rolled by her room, her heart would pound erratically. Ally took a deep breaths and reminded herself that surgery wasn't for another hour. She stared at the clock which read 3:24 P.M. She wished her parents would come up soon, but they were currently getting food in the cafeteria.

Ally sees a pen and napkin on the small table next to her bed. She takes it and sits up. She holds the pen in her hands. She hadn't written a song in a couple of weeks. She knew Austin was in need of a new song and she also knew that she probably wouldn't be writing for a while as she recovered from surgery. She figured she better scribble something down for him quickly.

_Help, help_

_I'm drowning_

_In the sea where I found you_

_The kerosene in your skin_

_The chemistry that I'm bound to_

_Picture me on an ocean_

_In a chest that I hollow_

_I picture you in slow motion_

_Somewhere in west Colorado_

_Well I don't know where that place is_

_If I did I would follow_

_I don't know what this taste is_

_If I did I would swallow_

_Thought I knew all the answers_

_Thought I held all the keys_

_The black bear that I led you too_

_Wants more than I can speak_

_Thought I drew out the cancers_

_Thought I fell the disease_

_Turns out that I need you now_

_Much more than you need me_

_A track meet in my car_

_Complicates what I told you_

_The back beat in my heart_

_Syncopates when I hold you_

_Well I don't know what the use is_

_If I did I'd unfold you_

_I don't know what the truth is_

_If I did I'd have told you_

Ally folded the small napkin and set it on the small table. Ally breathed deeply. She relaxed a little more when her parents got back to her room, but it wasn't enough to calm her about the surgery. Eventually, when the doctors did come for her, she clenched her fists and forced a smile at the doctors.

. . . . . . .

Ally can hear her mother outside of her room asking questions when she saw her three best friends slowly and cautiously enter her hospital room. Ally manages a weak smile.

"Hey," Trish grinned at her best friend, standing at the foot of her bed. "You worn out?" she giggled. Ally smiled slightly again and nodded her head.

Austin pulled up a chair beside her bed, "Hey," he grinned at her, touching her hair lightly.

"Hi," she managed to croak out. "I wrote you a song."

Austin is alarmed. "Ally...Ally, you shouldn't have written me a song. I don't want you to write songs right now. I want you to get better. I just...I need you to get better, okay?" his voice shook. Ally's eyes filled with concern and he sighs, sitting back in his chair and staring at her.

"Please take it," she rasped, already having the napkin folded in her fingertips. She had grabbed it the second she got out of surgery. "I was really scared before I went for surgery, Austin," she said, "I wrote it because I needed something to look forward to that wasn't surgery. It helped a little bit. But I thought you could use a new song, too. Take it." She then cracked a tired smile, "Like a gift from me to you."

Austin let out a chuckle although all he wanted to do was hug her and protect her from the Cancer but he knew he couldn't. He took the song and unfolded it as he read it. He was taken away. It was one of the best one's she'd ever written. He wasn't even sure he knew what all of the words meant, but it was important to him because it was important to her. "It's beautiful, Ally," he whispered.

"Thank you," she coughed lightly, groaning as she did so. Austin sat forward, touching her hand for comfort.

"Here," Dez said, handing her a cup. Trish helped Ally hold the cup while she gulped it down. Ally smiled at her best friend as she laid back down. She sat down at the foot of Ally's bed, and braided her curly locks while she hummed the tune of one of Ally's favourite songs by Bruno Mars.

Austin was watching Ally before he was beginning to get tired. He hadn't slept last night because he was worried about Ally. He gently rested his head by her waist. Ally glanced over at him and smiled slightly. Ally could see how worried he was in his eyes so she started playing with his blonde hair, scrubbing her fingers through it. Normally, he would swat her hands away but he didn't this time. It did begin to relax him so he closed his eyes. As Trish continued on humming Bruno Mar's songs, Ally grew sleepy as well and drifted into a slumber, her fingers still knotted in Austin's hair.

"Aw," Dez cooed, holding his hands by his face. Trish laughed and pulled out her phone to take a picture.

Just as she did so, Ally's parents walked in. "Aw," they cooed as well. There was nothing sweeter to them, then seeing a worried boy sleeping by Ally's side. Lester normally had oddities towards Austin but he discovered that he was starting to like this Austin Monica Moon boy.

"Does she know yet?" Penny questioned out loud, not taking her eyes away from the sweet sight in front of her. "That Austin likes her?"

Trish shook her head, "Not yet. But I'm calling her stupid for not knowing." Penny and Trish laughed together softly.

A few hours passed by and Austin awakes to somebody shaking him. He groans softly and slowly lifts his head. His back is aching from being in such an awkward position. He tried to stretch out the ache.

"Sore?" Penny laughed slightly. Austin chuckled tiredly, nodding. He looked over to Ally and saw she was still fast asleep. "The doctor gave her pain medication that should keep her asleep until she can be discharged. Do you want to stay the night with her?"

Austin looked at Penny, alarmed, "That would be great," he said, "But don't you want to stay with her?"

Penny nodded, "I do, but you've been so worried. I'll stay with her tomorrow night."

Austin stood up from the chair, "It's alright. She's your daughter. I can leave-"

Penny smiled at him, touching his shoulder, "Austin, stay." she said. Austin stared at her and saw that she was insisting. She handed over a blanket and pillow. "I went home a little earlier and grabbed these. I was going to use them but I won't be needing them," she laughed, "Take them. The chair in the corner over there reclines," she said.

"Thanks, Penny," Austin smiled at her. Penny nodded, smiling back. Austin watched her leave the room before he looked over at Ally and took a deep breath. He walked towards her and kissed her forehead.

He grabbed the napkin that had the song written on it. He sat on the reclining chair in the corner and wrapped the blanket around himself. He glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly 10 P.M. He was so glad that the surgery was over with and he bet Ally was even happier.

He stared at the lyrics and quietly sang, "Help, help / I'm drowning / in the sea where I found you / the kerosene of your skin / the chemistry that i'm bound to." He nodded to himself liking the way that sounded. "Picture me on an ocean / in a chest that I hallow / I picture you in slow motion / somewhere in West Colorado / Well, I don't know where that place is / if I did I would follow / I don't know what this taste is / if I did I would swallow."

"That sounds really good," croaked a tired voice from the hospital bed. Austin looked over alarmed. He jumped out of the reclining chair and scurried to her.

"I'm so sorry, Ally. Did I wake you up?" he asked, worriedly.

"It was a good thing to wake up to," she smiled. He smiled slightly. "Where's my mom?" asked Ally.

Austin cleared his throat, semi awkward. "Uh, she went home. I'm going to stay the night with you instead." He was nervous to hear her response.

She smiled, "Oh okay."

"You're good with that?" he asked. Ally nodded, smiling at him. He returned the smile. He ran his fingers over her hairline. "You should get back to sleep. It's ten at night. You need some good sleep."

Ally nodded, closing her eyes. She fell back to sleep quickly and Austin shuffled over to the reclining chair again and rested his eyes, too. He was soon asleep.

. . . . . . . .

A couple weeks later, Austin rang the Dawson's household door bell. Penny opened the door. "Oh, Hey Austin," she smiled.

"Is it alright that I'm over?" he asked. Penny honestly wanted to tell him that Ally needed to sleep but she didn't have the heart considering his mother, Mimi, had called her the other day and explained that Austin was having a hard time dealing with all of this.

"Of course!" Penny replied. She allowed Austin inside and told him that Ally was up in her room, resting. Austin nods and makes his way down the hallway, greeting Lester on his way down.

Austin quietly opens her door and sees her staring out the window. "Hey, Als," he said. Ally looked over and was shocked to see him.

"Austin," she smiled, "Hi."

Austin shut the door behind him and when he turned around, he could see that she looked weaker. He walked over to her bed and sat down at the foot of it, turning his body so he was facing her completely. "How've you been?"

"Tired," Ally said. He nodded.

"How have you been sleeping?" he questioned. Ally laughed.

"You've asked me that every day since I've gotten out of the hospital. I'm sleeping fine." Ally said.

"Just checking," he grinned. "Science is hard and lonely without you."

Ally laughed softly, "Is it?"

Austin nodded, "Yeah. The teacher had to put me in a group of three because I had no idea what the heck was going on," he admitted. Ally laughed again. "I actually had a decent day today. First I got to school and ticked off the geeks in our science class, then my basketball team ingym class won two rounds, then Dez and I ate Candy Lasagna for lunch made by Dez, Trish and Dez got into another squabble and Trish punched him and busted his bottom lip, then I got a D on my Geometry quiz which is awesome because I usually fail," Austin stopped in mid sentence when he saw Ally's eyes were closed. He smiled softly.

He observes her appearance. Dark circles were under her eyes, her face pale, and her lips chapped. Her hair was in a messy side braid that rested along her shoulder and she was wearing sweatpants and a baggy hoodie. She looked perfect. Austin leaned forward and pressed his lips onto the space between her eye brows before curling beside her. He stared at the side of her face. He decided that she got more beautiful every day.

Austin was watching her chest as it rose and fall softly in sync with her breathing. He tried to count the breaths but he got distracted by the thought of her breathing ever stopping. He swallowed hard, a lump gathering in his throat. His stomach started twisting and turning as he wondered what life would look like if Ally ever passed away. He felt his lunch about to make a reappearance but he didn't want to wake Ally so he focused on her TV.

She had been watching Stuart Little and it helped him feel better. A good family movie would never hurt anyone. But even as he tried to focus on the screen, his mind managed to wander to a place of 'What-If's' and his throat clogged with another lump.

He turns his head to stare at Ally again. He can hear her breathing softly and makes him smile. The soft sound calmed his heart that was thumping uncontrollably in his chest.

Time eventually passed by although it didn't feel like it and the door suddenly opened and Austin looked over and saw Penny. She smiled at him. She spoke softly, hoping not to wake Ally. "I made dinner if you'd like something to eat."

"Thanks but I'm not hungry," Austin said softly. Penny stared at him, nodding her head. Austin looked back at Ally, simply finding entertainment in the way she moved her face while she slept.

"You know that she thinks the world of you," Penny said. It rubbed Austin the wrong way. He forced a smile at Penny, but didn't appreciate the way she always seems to make it sound like Ally is dying. Ally wasn't going to die. He wasn't going to let her.

"I think the world of her, too," he replied. Penny smiled bigger.

"You can stay as long as you need to, Austin," Penny said, "And I want you to know that when you feel like you need a place to stay, even for a little bit, you can stay here. I know Ally means a lot to you."

Austin smiled at her gratefully and watched her leave the room. He focused on Ally again before he thought he felt tired and closed his eyes. He buried his head into her shoulder and fell asleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

**3 Weeks Later**

Ally smiles at her Dad and slowly gets out of the car. She throws her bag over her shoulder, collects her books from the back seat and shuts the door. She waved goodbye to her Dad who looked worried but drove away eventually.

Ally made her way up the steps of the school. She felt slightly winded. After the surgery, things that used to be so easy had been a little bit more challenging but she was managing well. Students who were waiting along the front steps of Marino High noticed Ally and gave her sympathetic smiles. Ally didn't allow it to bother her and flashed her usual grin and waved to them.

Penny had told Ally that the school knew about her diagnosis and Ally was okay with it. She knew that she couldn't hide it forever. A boy opened the door for her smiling warmly and she accepted the generous action and slipped through the door, giving him a small thank you.

Ally walked along the crowded hallways surprised with how many people were greeting her. She forced a smile at them. She felt like she was at some pity party. Her mixed feelings were driven away when she saw the backside of her best friend Trish. She grinned immediately.

Austin was in front of Dez, leaning up against the locker. Dez was counting something on his fingers before talking to Austin and Trish again. Austin glanced over Trish's shoulder for a moment before his face lit up, "Ally!" he shrieked, excitedly.

Ally scurried to them quickly, wrapping her arms around the trio who were ecstatic about her appearance. "Hey Guys," she said when she pulled away.

"You said you weren't coming until next week," Trish commented, smiling wide.

"I changed my mind," Ally grinned, "I missed being at school. Sitting at home on your bed all day and all night is really boring. And I couldn't miss the fundraiser!"

They all chuckled. "I'm so glad you're here," Austin said, "Now I don't have to work with Bobby and Mason," he teasingly shuddered. Ally smacked his arm.

The trio walked with Ally to her locker and helped her get her things. Trish filled Ally in on everything that had gone on in English class, Dez told Ally that drama class wasn't fun without her, and Austin was too busy staring at Ally to even mention a thing about Science.

The bell rung suddenly, "I'll see you in English!" Trish said.

"I'll save you a seat in Drama!" Dez said and the two scurried off into different directions.

"Here, I can carry your books-"

"Austin, don't," Ally looked at him. His eyes met hers and he saw the irritation in those brown orbs.

"I just want to-"

"Well, I've got it," she snapped. Ally didn't mean to be so rude, but she really felt pitied now that the school knew about her Cancer. Everyone was giving her soft looks, even people who have never talked to her before were starting to greet her, and the last thing she wanted was to look like a weak girl.

"Are you mad at me or something?" he asked her, "Was it because I didn't come by yesterday? I know I promised but I got in trouble because I didn't tell my parents that I got detention-"

Ally sighed, "Austin, I'm not mad at you- You got detention?" she asked him.

He grimaced, "Dez and I wouldn't stop talking in Math." Ally rolled her eyes and laughed slightly.

"Well, let's get to class now," she said. Austin nodded. They managed to get to the classroom and when Ally walked in, the class get 101% nicer to her than they'd ever been. It made Ally happy, because the last thing she'd want was to be bullied but at the same, it was all very bitter sweet. She didn't want to be treated differently at all. She wanted people to treat her like they used to.

"It's good to see you, Ally," said Ms. Jackson, her smile very warm. Ally returned the smile before opening her books and keeping her head stuffed into her notebook where she'd had another student copy notes for her. (Considering Austin never took notes or paid attention.)

The teacher passed along a piece of paper that had the instructions on their experiment. Ally pulled right back into routine, "Go get two 500 mL beakers," she ordered.

"Yeah, it's good to have you back," Austin said sarcastically and teasingly as he walked off to get supplies. Ally walked to the back cupboards, grabbing herself and Austin an apron and safety goggles.

About ten minutes into the experiment, Austin was already zoning out and sitting in his chair. "Austin!" Ally smacked him, "Pay attention and help me!"

"But it's _so _boring!" he moaned. Ally rolled her eyes. He sighed, standing up and helping with the experiment.

The experiment was nearly over when Ally sighed, "I'm sorry I was so rude to you earlier."

Austin looked at her, "What?"

"Before we got to class," she said, "I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I just hate people treating me like I'm so different."

Austin sighed, "We're not trying to. We just want to help."

"I appreciate that, but please treat me like I'm still, well, me." Ally said. Austin nodded understandingly. They got back to the experiment quickly.

. . . . . . . .

The day had gone on and Ally was getting weaker. She decided not to mention her drowsy state to her friends because she knew they'd only get protective of her. "I'm so happy the school decided to do this fundraiser," Ally smiled at Trish.

"Well, everyone really cares about you. You play a big part, Ally," Trish said as they got to the gathering area where the fundraiser for Cancer was being held.

"To be honest, I didn't know people really cared for me all that much. I knew you, Austin, and Dez would, but the whole school? I'm surprised." Ally said. Trish smiled slightly before handing two dollars to one of the tables and handed a cupcake to Ally before taking one for herself. "I missed the taste of icing," Ally said.

Trish said, "Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm not sure they're going to be here forever," she pointed over to the table that was suddenly being crowded by students.

Ally laughed slightly before she noticed Austin on stage. Austin smiled, "Hello everybody," he grinned, "I'm Austin Moon and I'm going to play you a song was written by my partner Ally Dawson. She wrote it at a very difficult time and it means a lot to me. Don't forget to make your donations!" he pointed towards the small screen that displayed how much money they were making.

Ally smiled at him as she watched him perform the song. She noticed that Austin always looked happiest when he was placed in front of a microphone with all eyes on him. It tugged on her heart that she was going to take that all away, perhaps momentarily or perhaps _for good_. Ally knew that the doctors had explained to her parents that so far they'd gotten rid of the Cancer, all that was left was for her to heal and start treatment, but everytime she breathed in relief, she had to pluck out the fear that caught in her teeth.

"Hey, are you still doing okay?" asked her best friend Trish, handing her a water. Ally forced a grin and nodded. She sipped the water and realized it was greatly needed - she began to gulp it. Her muscles were starting to quiver with weakness.

"Perfectly fine," Ally mumbled, _just feeling the weight of guilt holding me down, _Ally thought sourly. As Ally watched Austin's mouth move, syncing with the words he was singing, she knew that her survival wasn't only for herself anymore. It was for her friends, but it was especially for Austin. He had become her best friend, which she thought would never happen due to their differences, but she was also his songwriter and his future depended on her life. Sure, Austin could get a new songwriter, but that new songwriter would never understand Austin the way she does. Ally counted the thoughts about a new songwriter and her stomach started to feel warm - was she jealous?

Ally shook her head, trying not to laugh at herself. She was jealous of a person who wasn't even in Austin's life. _Yet,_ echoed the nasty thought.

Ally weaved herself out of her thoughts when the students around the small platform clapped and Austin got off the stage, smiling wide with that sparkle in his eyes that Ally was sure mirrored the Miami night's stars.

"You sounded awesome, Austin," Ally blurted. Austin wrapped his arms around her gently, hoping not to hurt her small figure that he's begun to notice was more delicate that he'd ever realized before. He pulled away from the embrace.

"Only because you wrote an awesome song," he smiled. Ally returned the smile. Austin noticed that today it reached her eyes. Ever since she'd been bearing the news about her diagnoses, Ally's smile hadn't been the same. He was glad that he saw her infamous smile again.

Trish announced that the song had made over $900.00 in donations making Austin and Ally cheer with happiness. The afternoon continued and the donations went up, up, up, never coming down, down, down. They'd played numerous games that kept students entertained. It consisted of: water balloon fights, throwing paint at each other, writing letters to sick children battling cancer, music, fun performances such as Austin's, dancing, pie eating contests, and a scavenger hunt for a pink ribbon and whomever found the ribbon would be given $800.00 in rewards plus a gift card to Miami's Mall.

It was only once the fundraiser was over that Ally realized she did not like this fundraiser. Sure, it got many donations and meant well towards the concept, but as Ally felt, it was so everyone could have fun meanwhile there were people, like herself, battling a disease that no laughter, dancing, pies, music, pain, or water balloons could fix. She roamed the halls with a heavy heart.

Opening her locker was effortless, but pulling her binders from her locker was a struggle. Slamming her locker shut, she began down the hallway. She weaved her way through the students that gave her polite smile, to which she never returned this time, and felt her finger tips trembling. Perhaps, she should have left at lunch. Ally couldn't deny that she was still weak. She sighed. She was really ready for that nap now.

"Ally!"

She heard the voice of her blonde music partner. Ally turned her head to get a glimpse of him and there he was, running towards her with a grin. "Hey," she said, her smile was forced. She could feel how unconvincing it was and knew Austin definitely would notice a difference in it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, now keeping pace with her by her side. Ally slowly nodded, but Austin noticed her movements were slightly sluggish. "Do you need a ride home?" he questioned.

"I was going to walk," Ally said softly.

Austin shook his head, "I'll drive you home."

"I like to walk," Ally told him.

"Do you feel like you can make the walk?" Austin asked her, not failing to notice the way her movements seemed to be getting slower and her breathing was getting heavy with exhaustion. Ally didn't reply and Austin had his answer. He nodded once. "Do you want me to hold your books?" he was nervous that she was going to get mad at him for 'treating her different' again, but she didn't. She actually nodded. Austin took her books. The binders weren't heavy at all, but he saw her arms shaking.

Trying not to feel bad for Ally, Austin dived into a conversation about how their science teacher treats him unfairly. Ally only teased him for his poor work ethic and claimed that she'll be surprised if he even graduates this year. She comments that she thinks Austin should start applying himself before he regrets it. Austin just shrugged, dismissing the comment for nonsense.

They make it to the parking lot. The air is moist and cold from the rain. _Thank God I'm getting a ride_, Ally thought to herself gratefully. She was already gathering small goose bumps along her exposed skin. She got to Austin's truck, opening the door. She was about to lift herself into the extremely large vehicle when the disappointment settled inside her guts. _She couldn't lift herself in_.

Austin was already walking around to his side when he heard the faint and awkward, "Um, Austin?"

Austin turned around and saw Ally gripping the door and side of the truck. She nodded towards the truck. That was when it hit Austin: how everything was going to change, how much this had affected her everyday life, how it was going to affect his life, and her parents life. He forces himself not to give her a sympathetic look because he knew it'd do nothing but hurt her feelings. He walks towards her. He switched her binders to his right arm, holding them against his side as used his left arm to grab her arm, wrapping it around his shoulder. Ally had managed to pull herself up into the large truck with the help of Austin. Generally, she wouldn't of thought the truck was so large, she actually hadn't noticed it until she couldn't get in. She _hated _feeling small.

Austin gives Ally her binders and she sets them on her lap, buckling herself in the seat. Austin gave Ally a smile and shut the door. He walked around to his side and jumped into the driver's seat. About ten minutes into the drive, Austin turned down the radio when he'd noticed that Ally had actually fallen asleep.

He stopped in front of her house and sat in the car, staring straight ahead for a moment before he looked at her. He studied her appearance for four solid seconds. It pained Austin that Ally's natural terrain was slowly deteriorating into something so small, something so sick. He knew that the cancer was removed, but he also knew that Ally was not better and there was a chance that he would lose her. He can't lose her.

Austin cleared his throat when he saw Lester standing on the porch in confusion. He smiled at Lester from inside the car before opening his door and jumping out. He walked to the passenger side and grabbed the binders, setting them on the floor of his car before carefully unbuckling Ally and lifting her into his arms. Lester realized his daughter fast asleep and immediately walked forward to help.

"Thank you for bringing her home. I wasn't sure that she should've walked like she insisted," Lester said, grinning gratefully at the blonde boy. Austin smiled at Lester and nodded.

"Anytime," Austin said, reaching in and grabbing the binders. He followed Lester inside the Dawson's household and set her binders in the living room on the loveseat.

"Austin, would you like to stay for dinner?" questioned Penny, suddenly in front of him. Austin smiled.

"Thanks, Mrs. Dawson, but I've got to get home. You've offered me supper the last several times. My Mom wants me back home for supper now," Austin said as he realized just how many times he'd avoided his own home. He'd been so cooped up in the Dawson's household and staying with Ally that he was nearly forgetting that he had his own parents waiting up on him.

"Alright, Would you mind taking Ally to school tomorrow?" Penny asked.

"It's no problem. I'll be here at 8:30," he said, waving goodbye and shutting the door behind him.

. . . . .

"You're home," Austin heard his mother's surprised voice.

Austin set his bag down, but the weight he felt on his shoulders never left. He smiled over at his mom who walked to the entrance. "Yeah," he said, "Ally was sleeping and I felt like I was in the way."

"I'm sure Penny and Lester don't think that," Mimi, Austin's mother, said. Austin shrugged, smelling the aroma of baked potatoes, rice, chicken, and green peas. Austin didn't care that supper was being served very early tonight, he immediately stalked towards the kitchen, ignoring his mother calling to him that dinner wasn't quite ready yet.

Austin towered over the stove, his mouth watering hungrily. "Looks ready to me," he said. Mimi clicked her tongue against her teeth before returning to her duty of making dinner. "Where's Dad?" asked Austin.

"Jimmy called him in for a meeting," Mimi said.

"Jimmy did?" Austin looked at his mom. That didn't sound good.

"Don't worry about it. How is Ally?" Mimi questioned, turning off the stove.

"Really good," Austin said, focusing on taking the plates from the cupboard's. He didn't want to talk about Ally. He didn't want to mention her health, or how he felt about everything, or even how Ally might be feeling. He wanted to erase everything that had happened and focus on his music.

"You seem upset about something," Mimi frowned.

"I'm not," Austin said, tossing a chunk of chicken onto his plate.

"Are you-"

"Mom, I don't want to talk about this tonight," Austin said. There was something with talking about Ally to his mom that made him emotional. To Trish or Dez, they could all talk sadly about what was going on, but the second Mimi mentioned something, Austin somehow always fell into vulnerability.

"Austin Monica Moon," Mimi said, "You can't bottle these things up," she said, smacking his shoulder when he'd taken too much rice.

"It's worked for me so far," he grumbled, heading to the table, not bothering to grab peas. He hated vegetables, especially the green ones. Mimi opened her mouth to say something but was never able to get it out when the door opened and Mike Moon, Austin's father, announced his arrival.

Austin immediately dropped his fork, "Dad?" he called.

"Yeah?" Mike called, from somewhere in the house.

"You were talking with Jimmy?" Austin said, hoping he didn't sound to nervous. Mike appeared at the table, grabbing his own plate and getting ready to dish up.

"I was," said Mike.

"And?" Austin urged.

"It was a very nice talk," Mike told his son, sitting down and stuffing a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Dad," Austin growled, staring at him.

"Alright," he said, "Jimmy said you've been slacking lately at the label and he wants something new." Mike sighed.

Austin looked at his Dad. "Something new? Jimmy knows Ally won't be writing much anymore. He can't just demand for something new," Austin argued, angrily.

"He can, Austin." Mike replied, "I tried to tell him to keep it easy because of everything going on. Jimmy respects that Ally is sick, but he still says that he needs something new or he might have to consider signing you off from his label."

"Grumpy old man," grumbled Mimi. Austin sighed. He ate his dinner. When he was up in his room, he texted Kira and asked her if she could ask her Dad to chill out with the demands.

_Please talk to ur dad. Ally isn't exactly in the right shape to be writing music - Austin._

_I've gone to him a few times already but my dad is very headstrong. I'll keep trying though. - Kira._

_Thanks, Kira. -Austin._

_How is Ally? - Kira._

Austin stared at the text and sighed. He wanted to say that Ally was doing great, but was that appropriate to say when Ally is technically still dying. No, Ally isn't okay. She is fighting for her life. Does fighting for your life sound okay to you?

_As good as she can be - Austin._

Austin didn't want to talk about it anymore. He clicked out of his messages and the screen immediately lit with a picture of him and Ally. Ally was splashing around in the water, laughing and Austin was just standing across from her grinning. The picture was taken last year, back when everything was okay. Austin sighed, feeling the urge to cry but he wouldn't let himself. He turned off his phone, ignoring the new text from Kira and closed his eyes. He fell asleep.

**Not proofread.**

**Sorry for the wait and sorry if it was boring. Just a filler chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Thank God it's Saturday, thought Austin while staring up at Ally's ceiling. Ally was tapping her pen on her paper. Everyone told Ally never to do homework on a Saturday, but she loved doing homework on Saturday's. She loved doing schoolwork all the time, it soothed her for an odd reason she could never explain.

"You seem really down today, Austin," Ally said, "You sort of have been all week." Ally chewed on the inside of her cheek. She prayed it wasn't because of her.

Austin sighed, "Jimmy might drop me from the label."

Ally's eyes grew wide, "What?"

Austin looked over at her and saw the terror and surprise in her eyes. "He's demanding that I give him some new stuff and if I don't, he might fire me. I've tried to talk to him about it, same with Kira, and my parents, but Jimmy isn't letting up." he explained.

So it as Ally's fault. Ally felt incredibly guilty. She reached over and grabbed her songbook, flipping through pages.

"Als, what are you doing?" Austin asked, sounding exhausted from stress.

"I've written so many songs. Take them all so you won't have to worry about being fired." Ally said. Austin sat up on her bed.

"Ally, you're supposed to be resting, not writing." Austin said.

"I can't help it," she admitted, "I get words in my head and I have to write them down. I think I've written about ten songs or more. You can take them and that way we won't have to worry about you being fired for a long time."

Austin lost count of how many pages she tore from her book before handing him the small stack of papers, all covered with lyrics and chords. Austin flipped through the songs. He almost had enough for an album - he possibly only needed a couple more. "Ally," Austin said, "You really shouldn't have been writing."

"I know, I was told several times," Ally said, dismissively. Austin chuckled, looking at her. "Songs just happen, though. I have to write them down. And it kinda helps with everything that's going on," she murmured, playing with a loose thread on her comforter. Austin nodded understandingly. "Austin?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind recording Black Bear, the one you sang at the fundraiser?" Ally asked him. He looked at her. "The song is really important to me now and I want it recorded. I want people to hear it."

Austin didn't hesitate when he nodded, "For you, Absolutely." Ally smiled at him. For a moment, Austin almost blurted his ever growing feelings for her, but he stopped himself. He was trying to make the decision that he couldn't like Ally anymore. She should only be a friend. Austin didn't want to get hurt and he knew if Ally passed away, he would be crushed. He couldn't fall in love with her. But maybe he has already.

. . . . . .

Ally was scrolling through her tweeter. She'd announced the news that they'd kept hidden from the fans and now her mentions were blowing up with love and support from Austin's fans, but also her fans. Ally smiled at the twits.

_ AllyDawson : I love you! You are so incredibly talented! Ally-gators support you as do all Moon Walkers! _

_ AllyDawson : YOU ARE IN OUR PRAYERS_

_ AllyDawson : Sending you love and prayers!_

_ AllyDawson : Ally-gators believe in you!_

_ AllyDawson : You can do it! Stay strong, Ally! _

Ally felt tears in her eyes as she stared at all the support she was receiving. She was surprised with how kind the world was being. She had even been twitted from celebrities who had heard about the news. She nearly passed out when Bruno Mars contacted her and told her to stay strong.

Austin suddenly walked through her bedroom door, "You announced it?" he asked her, his phone in hand. He noticed the tears in her eyes and immediately got concerned. "What's wrong? What did they say?"

Ally laughed softly, wiping away a stray tear that managed to sneak down her cheek. Ally didn't like crying in front of anyone, but she had a feeling she needed to get used to it, because she was going through something huge. "Nothing, I'm fine. They're just being really supportive and I didn't think anyone would be," she admitted.

"Why would you think that?" Austin asked, sitting down on her bed. Ally shrugged, setting her phone on the nightstand beside her bed.

"What did Jimmy say?" Ally questioned, knowing that Austin had shown him the songs.

Austin grinned at her, "He loved them. He said he thinks this'll be my best record."

"That's great," Ally grinned. He then pulled up a recording on his phone and pressed play.

_Help, help, I'm drowning_

_In the sea where I found you_

_The kerosene in your skin,_

_the chemistry that I'm bound to_

Ally gasped, "You recorded it already?" Her lips curled upwards into a smile. Austin returned the smile and he nodded. Nothing made him happier than when she was happy.

"Yeah. After I left your house yesterday, I took the songs to Jimmy and told him I wanted Black Bear to be the first recorded. I was practically there all night with the band. We recorded this morning, cleaned it up this afternoon, and boom, it's finished. Jimmy wants to release it by next month," Austin told her.

"That's great," Ally grinned, "I think I like today." Austin chuckled. They fell into silence as they listened to the recorded song until it was finished. "It sounds better than I thought it would," Ally said.

"I'm glad you like it," Austin said, "Well, I mean, you did write it, I just meant that-"

"I know what you meant," Ally giggled, "Thank you, Austin. For everything. You keep coming around and I appreciate it. Trish talks to me on the phone, but I think me being sick makes her uncomfortable because she doesn't hang out with me anymore."

"She'll come around," Austin told her, "Trish is your best friend and I know that she's really upset about this. She hates to see you not like yourself. It's hard on all of us," Austin admitted.

"I'm so sorry," Ally apologized.

Austin watched her eyes fill with tears. Heartache tugged on his heart and he felt his throat tighten. "Don't you dare apologize for this, Ally, ever. You didn't ask for this, nobody did. It's just something that happened. Don't think for a minute that you should be sorry." he hissed.

Ally bit on her bottom lip and nodded, "Okay," she whispered. Austin stared at his feet for a moment, listening to her sniffle. He lifted his head and noticed the stack of movies along her dresser.

"Let's watch a movie," Austin said, walking towards her dresser. Ally nodded. Austin selected a movie: Finding Nemo. Ally grinned as Austin popped in the movie and laid down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her, not knowing why he did, but Ally accepted it and didn't mind.

. . . . . . .

**The Next Day: Monday.**

Ally was walking, ear-buds in her ears. She was listening to a few of her favourite songs by Bruno Mars when she felt hands on her shoulders. She jumped, tearing her ear buds out of her ears. She looked at her attacker and saw blonde hair and a wide grin before realizing it was Austin.

"Austin," Ally said, laughing slightly, "You scared me."

"Sorry," he chuckled, "What are you doing?" he questioned, glancing around the park.

"My mom is making me go for walks to keep my strength up," Ally told him. Austin nodded.

"I didn't see you after school at all today," Austin mentioned.

"My Dad thinks its best that I only stay at school for the mornings. He thought I was overexerting myself," Ally explained. Austin nodded in agreement. "So I rested this afternoon and now I'm back on my feet and jamming," she showed him the picture of Bruno Mars on her iPod. He laughed.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he queried.

"Not at all," Ally smiled, putting her iPod into her pocket.

"You missed Trish and Dez's fight after school," Austin told her, "Trish gave him a bloody nose and sprained her wrist."

"What!" Ally laughed along with Austin. He nodded.

"He had it coming. He spilled Grape Juice on her shirt," Austin told her. Ally grimaced at the thought of how Trish would have reacted. Austin and Ally walked along the pathway, dodging cyclists and joggers while talking about their favourite music. They even slipped into a conversation about who was better: Brad Pitt or George Clooney. According to Ally, George Clooney was the winner.

They walked for another half hour, talking about random things; school events, music, cats, food, Trish and Dez, their parents, funny stories, old memories of their childhood, awkward moments, etc.

Ally was starting to feel herself getting winded, but she tried not to show it because she was enjoying her conversation with Austin. Ally's finger tips were beginning to shake and her muscles in her legs were starting to ache. Her heart was pumping fast and she could feel her energy dissipating as she started to slow down.

Twenty minutes later, Austin was staring down at his shoes when he noticed the body beside him was walking anymore. He turned and saw Ally trying to catch her breath. "Austin," she breathed, "I can't walk anymore."

Austin looked around for a moment. He knew it was still a long walk back and there were no benches nearby. He looked at her and saw she was trying her hardest to stay standing, her body quivering. "Um," he bit the inside of his cheek, "Here," he said, walking towards her and scooping her into his arms.

"Austin," Ally said, "What are you doing?"

"It's a really long walk back and there's no where to stop." he told her.

"Austin, you're going to get tired," she told him as he shrugged and started walking back.

"You're already tired," he said. Ally scolded him and told him to put her down but he never did, he just kept walking. Soon enough, Ally was too tired to scold him any longer and she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Austin managed to carry her out of the walking pathway. He was slightly winded but he continued on. He glanced down at her every so often and always seemed to catch himself holding his breath as if he was expecting her to just die in his arms. He reminded himself that she wasn't exactly dying right now, she was in recovery. He didn't need to worry just yet, but every time he tried to breathe in relief, he found fear clawing at him in each breath that he inhaled into his lungs.

He relaxed more when he felt delicate finger tips playing with his hair by the nape of his neck. "Thank you, Austin," she murmured thoughtfully.

"Anything for you, Ally," Austin replied earnestly. Austin kept ignoring the odd looks he was getting while he carried Ally through the streets. He could still feel her body quivering, having to not quite recovered from her long walk. "You should probably stick to treadmills," he told her.

"I don't do workouts," Ally mumbled.

Austin laughed softly, "You'll need to start," he said, "How do you think I got these biceps, triceps, and abs?"

"That's a lie; you're not muscular," Ally said, grinning up at him teasingly. Austin pinched her lightly. "Ow!" Ally yelled, smacking his chest. He chuckled. "Let's go to your place," Ally said.

"What?" Austin said.

"Let's go to your place," Ally repeated, "I've been staying in my bed at home for weeks, I need a change of scenery."

"Won't you parents wonder where you are?" he queried.

"I'll text them of my whereabouts," Ally replied. Austin slowly nodded, crossing the street and heading into the direction of his house. "But put me down when we get to your place, I don't want your parents thinking I'm taking advantage of you and becoming lazy."

Austin laughed, "Okay."

. . . . .

Austin carefully set Ally down onto her feet, holding her shoulders until he knew she had her footing. Ally wasn't so shaky anymore, but Austin was. He had carried Ally from nearly an hour in a half, the park to his place and he was exhausted.

Austin opened the door and let Ally walk in first. Ally kicked off her shoes and noticed Austin's slow, tired movements. "Take it like a man," she teased. He sneered at her making her giggle lightly.

"Austin, Where have you-" Mimi stopped in mid-question, "Oh...Ally," she smiled at Ally, "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Neither did Austin," Ally grinned at his Mimi who laughed half-heartedly.

"I'm making dinner, it should be ready in an hour. Will you be staying until then?" Mimi asked.

"I might as well," Ally replied. Mimi nodded and Ally caught the look of pity in Mimi's eyes. Ally forced herself not to be bothered but Austin knew it was bugging her. He sighed silently.

"Let's go up to my room," Austin suggested. Ally nodded and followed Austin up to his room. She tried not to show how tiring going up the stairs was in front of his Mom. Austin glanced back and saw his Mom just watching. He sniffed the air, "Is something burning?"

"Oh!" Mimi took off to the kitchen.

Ally smelled the air, "I don't smell anything," she said, confusedly.

"I just said that so she'd go away," he said. Ally laughed slightly. Austin helped Ally up the rest of the stairs. They made it to his room and Ally lay down on his bed, relaxing into the comforter and pillows as she texted her parents that she was with Austin.

"I wanted to show you something," Austin said. Ally nodded, watching Austin as he grabbed his guitar. "You didn't write down a melody for one of the songs you showed me, so I just made one up last night, I wanted to know what you thought of it, but I've only got the melody for the chorus." he said. Ally smiled and nodded.

Austin reached over and grabbed a paper that was sitting on the small table next to his bed. He grabbed the chair from his desk and rolled it over so he was sitting in front of Ally. He set the paper down on his knee and cradled the guitar in his arms, letting his fingers find their place.

"Ready?" he looked at Ally as she nodded in reply. Austin immediately started hitting out a catchy melody on the guitar. He glanced over at the lyrics and started singing.

_There's too much smoke to see it_

_There's too much broke to feel this_

_Well, I love you, I love you_

_and all of your pieces_

Austin continued the melody for an extra minute before he stopped playing and looked at Ally. Ally grinned. "That's perfect," she told him. He smiled back. "I couldn't figure out the melody for that one when I wrote it. It was sort of just a poem. I'm glad you got one for it."

"Do you think you could help me finish the melody?" he questioned. Ally grinned and nodded. Austin set the paper onto the bed and got up. He grabbed his keyboard and slid it in front of Ally who was now seated up. He plugged the keyboard into a different plug-in outlet so she could play.

Ally messed around with a few notes before finding a melody she liked, "It could go like..._You and me / got ourselves a problem / I can see this / better than I solve them / I believed / I found a way around it / I will leave / this better than I found it._" Ally sang softly, hitting the perfect tune and melody.

"Perfect," Austin replied, mimicking the sound on his guitar until they could play it together. Austin watched Ally as she played a few more chords and notes on the keyboard, singing some of the lyrics after she explained how she wanted to drift into the chorus. He missed writing music with her and he knew he was going to miss it more if Ally ever happened to pass away-No, no...Austin can't think that way. He's not going to think that way. _Nothing_ was going to happen to Ally. _He hoped._

**Again, Not proofread.**


	5. Chapter 5

A month or two had managed to drift by and Ally was back on her feet now. She was acting like herself and slowly had gotten used to the fact that people were going to feel sorry for her and she needed to accept it and ignore it. So, last week when she sat in the gymnasium for an assembly, she didn't take it to heart that the school just announced there was going to be a dance in a dedication to Ally; they wanted to thank her for everything she had done for the school since ninth grade.

"Are you at least excited for the dance?" Trish questioned, browsing through dresses.

"I guess so, but I've never really been crazy for dances," Ally admitted, eyeing up a gold dress. She roamed it with her eyes but then realized she didn't like the back of the dress because it was just stringy lace.

"Dances are fun. You get to dress up and listen to music all night with good hair," Trish said, making Ally laugh lightly.

"I guess I should enjoy it," Ally decided, "It might be my last dance," she blurted. Trish's fingers froze in a purple dress that her eyes had been grazing over. Ally swallowed hard and looked away, staring down at a dress she didn't even like but she didn't want to look at Trish, because she knew what she said hurt Trish.

"What did you just say?" Trish hissed at her best friend.

"Nothing, nothing," Ally said dismissively.

"I can't believe you would say that," Trish nearly growled. Ally sighed and looked at her best friend who had anger blazing in her obsidian eyes.

"Trish, it slipped," Ally admitted.

"Why were you even thinking that?" Trish snapped, "Don't say things like that. Why are you thinking about that? Don't you want to survive? You're not even gonna die, Ally, okay? So just stop."

"Trish," Ally started, "You know I'm starting treatment soon and you have to know that I might not make it out," Ally said softly, "Don't deny what's the truth. Don't deny reality."

"I'm not denying reality," Trish spat, "You just keep talking stupid and i'm sick of it. That's the fourth time in two weeks that you've said something like that and not just to me, you've said it to Austin, to Dez, to your own parents, and you even said it to my Mom a couple days ago."

"I'm just..." Ally trailed off, pondering her thoughts, "Trish, it happens. Sometimes I speak without thinking. That's something that'll always be in the back of my mind, Okay? You know that if I was told that I would 100% be able to survive, the school wouldn't have even made up this stupid dance. It's more of a goodbye than anything else."

"That's not true," Trish sneered.

"It is, Trish," Ally argued.

"No, it's not Ally," snapped Trish, "They're thanking you-"

"-Because I'm dying."

"You're _not_ dying," Trish stated, venom dripping in her voice.

Fed up, Ally turned towards her best friend, "I am, Trish. I'm dying. I'm not gonna deny it. There's a chance, I won't even make it to next year and to be honest with you, I'm _scared shitless_, but I'm not gonna pretend like it's not happening, like I won't die, because I might. So, you shouldn't act like it's not happening, stop pushing away the facts, because this is the truth, this is _real_."

Upset with Ally, Trish just looked away. "I don't feel like dress shopping anymore."

"Trish," Ally sighed.

"No, Ally," Trish scowled, "Don't 'Trish' me. You might be able to accept what you believe is true, but I won't. I won't believe that you're going to die because I know you. I know you won't die. I know you won't let go, because _you are stronger_ than that."

The statement brought tears to Ally's eyes. Ally quickly looked down to the rack of dresses. "I like this one," Ally said softly, taking the hanger and letting her eyes roam the details of the blue dress.

Trish was hesitant before she swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty." Trish started looking for dresses with Ally again.

. . . .

"See, I told you red lipstick would go with your dress," Trish told Ally who was staring at herself in the mirror, pleased with her appearance.

"Okay, so you proved me wrong," Ally shrugged. Trish laughed. Ally played with her wavy locks of hair, adjusting it to lay on her shoulders in a perfect fashion. Trish used her manicured finger tips to tease her own hair, adjusting the curls so they were in place. "Trish, I have a question."

Trish heard the seriousness in Ally's voice and looked to her best friend. "What is it?" Trish questioned, feeling nervous suddenly.

Ally waited a moment before a grin crossed her ruby red lips, "What do you look like with straight hair?"

Trish let out a breath, laughing as she shoved Ally slightly. "You're a tool."

Penny walked into the bathroom and gasped, "You girls look so nice," she said. Trish and Ally exchanged happy looks before grinning at Penny.

"Thank you, Mom," Ally said.

"Austin and Dez are here," Penny said, "Did you girls pick any dates?"

"Mom," Ally said. Penny laughed softly. "No, we didn't. None of us have dates. We're all just going together."

Penny nodded, "Well, you girls better get going. I think they've been waiting outside for a several minutes now."

Trish and Ally nodded, making their way down the stairs. Lester smiled and took a surprise picture. "Dad," Ally scolded. He laughed softly.

"Just a quick one," he said. Trish and Ally rolled their eyes and lined up next to each other, grinning prettily. He snapped the photo and waved goodbye as they left the house and shivered at the cool air.

"What is Dez doing?" Trish wondered out loud as they looked at the car and saw Dez head banging to a beat that they could not hear. Ally giggled and they headed for the car.

Austin was tapping his hands to the beat, ignoring Dez's loud singing and head banging actions. Austin glanced over and saw Ally and Trish. Austin's breath got caught in his throat as he saw Ally. He didn't know she was able to get prettier than she already was. Her makeup looked natural, other than the ruby red lipstick that he knew must've been Trish's idea because Trish was the only one between the two of them who was obsessed with bright lipstick. Ally's dress was gold and slim, it wasn't boring as it flowed elegantly to her feet, the torso of the dress decorated in shiny jewels and pretty designs. He noticed Trish looked nice as well, dressed in a pink dress that looked wonderful on her as it hugged her body.

Trish opened the door and Ally crawled into the backseat. Trish then slid in next to her. "Finally!" shouted Dez. Trish snapped something insulting at him and he glared at her. Austin turned down the stereo in the car.

"Let's just go," Austin said. Dez finally learned how to ignore Trish and he lurched the vehicle into motion.

Eventually the group had made it to the school. There was a banner that read: _Thank you for everything Ally! _It was painted nicely and made Ally smile. A few people greeted Ally and thanked her, others only greeted, and then there were many who didn't say anything. Ally didn't mind because she was having fun listening to Trish and Dez banter.

Austin handed Ally a glass of juice, smiling at her, "You look beautiful, Ally," Austin told her, honestly. Ally grinned at him.

"Thank you, Austin," she smiled, "You look good, too. I didn't know tuxedo's looked good on you."

"Thanks," he said, sarcastically. Ally giggled, sipping on her glass. As the night went on Ally had heard her favourite songs and said hi to a few of her other friends from around the school. Trish had wandered off to flirt with guys she thought were attractive and nobody knew where Dez had gone. Austin stayed by Ally's side at all times, nervous about everything: whether somebody would be rude to her, if she would get injured, if something bad were to happen to her health suddenly, and if any guy was going to approach her because she really did look like a goddess.

Austin relaxed because so far, no guy had checked her out, at least no guy he'd seen. Austin had managed to make small talk with Ally but she was starting to grow quiet and Austin knew it wasn't because she was tired. Something was bothering her. He wondered what. Though, her quietness and their alone time made him decide it was the perfect moment to get something specific off of his mind.

He'd spent weeks running his feelings towards Ally through his head. He did not look at her as a friend anymore, she meant too much to him to be just _a friend_. He'd realized how much her diagnosis had affected him more than it should have, making him discover that there was something in his heart specifically only for her. He remembered that when he'd first met her, she really was only a friend, he didn't care that she liked pickles, he didn't mind that she liked to giggle and laugh, he didn't ever notice the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. But for a while now, he'd grown to adore her love for pickles, he liked to watch her smile frame her laugh, and he seemed to always catch the glint in her eyes when she smiled. He was starting to wonder if he loved Ally too much. He was afraid to come into terms with this a couple months ago, but as time was going on, Ally was too valuable to him, how could he not love her? How could he not admit to it? He wasn't afraid anymore. He realized that if he wanted to be hurt by any girl, it would be Ally, because she was so important that if she'd ever broken his heart, he'd be absolutely flattered and if anyone ever asked, he wouldn't hesitate to brag that it was by Ally Dawson.

"Ally," he started, "I need to tell you some-" he stopped when he saw a tear fall from her cheek then Ally had suddenly bolted, pushing her way through the dancing people. "Ally!" he shouted, following her.

He followed her into the empty hallways. He sighed and came to a stop when she burst into the Ladies Restroom. He couldn't get to her now. Austin sighed and slowly stood by the restroom door when he heard her crying from behind the door. He slowly sat down, leaning up against the wall. He listened to the sound of her cries which made him fidget. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't just go into the Ladies Room. He decided he would just wait.

Austin waited approximately twenty minutes before the bathroom door opened. He glanced up and Ally was running her fingers under her eyes, perhaps checking for smudged make up or a source of anymore salty tears.

Feeling somebody staring at her, Ally glanced over and was shocked to see that it was Austin sitting there. Ally's eyes were still watery and red as he realized he had waited for her. Austin jumped into a standing position and quickly wrapped her arms around Ally. He immediately knew what was wrong. He should've known going to a dance would be unfair for her.

Ally wrapped her arms around Austin, too. She nestled her face into his shoulder, feeling grateful that he cared for her so much. Ally doesn't cry, because she's so tired of crying. She's been crying for months now.

"I'm going to start it next month," she told him. Austin didn't reply, he just nodded. He knew that she meant her chemotherapy. She had mentioned it to him a couple times. He tightened his grip on her waist. "I'm going to lose all of my hair," she sniffled, "Prom is coming soon. Who will take me when I'll have no hair?" she questioned him, her voice shaking as a lump made her throat grow tight.

Austin took this as his chance. "Me," he told her. He pulled away from the hug, taking a look at her face. Her eyes weren't dry yet as another rolled down her cheek.

Ally sighed, "No, I mean, who actually wants to take me and not because they feel bad?" she asked him.

Austin let his gaze on her grow into intensity. "I said me," he repeated. Ally was surprised and looked at him. She studied his eyes for a moment and saw that he was serious. His brown eyes burned with passion that she could now see. "Because I love you, Ally. I love you."

Ally caught the way his voice shook on those three words. It gave her confirmation that they weren't just words to be said to make her feel better or to be told in an I-Love-You-As-A-Friend kind of way. He actually _loved_ her. He loved her in a different way than any man has loved her before. He meant it.

"You love me?" Ally echoed, staring at his face as she tried to make sense of this flawless moment. Austin slowly nodded. "Love?" she said again.

"Yeah," he said, softly.

"When did you figure this out? How long have you felt this?" Ally questioned him. She knew she loved him, too, but she couldn't stop asking question. She wanted to make sure this was real.

"I figured it out a long time ago, I was always afraid to admit. I can't tell you how long I've felt this, but I've been waiting to tell you for a few months now." Austin replied. Ally slowly nodded.

Ally leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips onto his softly. Austin only dreamed of kissing Ally and now it was happening. He'd kissed her after she conquered her stage fright and he'd kissed her for that Austin and Ally movie, but this time it was different. This time they'd kissed and there was nothing that would make them jump back to being friends. This was the one kiss that would lead them to a relationship.

Austin pulled away from Ally, "I think we could do it this time," he murmured to her. Ally slowly nodded, peering up at him from beneath her long lashes. Austin smiled, his heart starting to settle down. It still thumped while he was so close to her, but it was a good thump. The kind of thump that let you know this was where your heart belonged.


	6. Chapter 6

"You guys are..._What?!_" exclaimed Trish, eyes bugging out.

"Dating," Austin and Ally repeated again.

"For real this time?" Dez questioned.

"For real," Austin confirmed while Ally nodded.

"I'm happy for you guys," Trish grinned at both of them. Austin and Ally exchanged happy looks before thanking Trish. Austin wondered why they were so nervous to tell Dez and Trish in the first place. It had been Trish and Dez who wanted Austin to tell Ally about his feelings in the first place.

Austin was lost in his thoughts until Ally dismissed herself claiming that she needed to tutor another student and fled off. Austin watched her walk away and slowly looked back at Trish and Dez who were staring at him. "What?" asked Austin.

"Are you sure about this, Austin?" Dez questioned.

"What are you talking about? Yes, I'm sure. Aren't you guys the ones who wanted me to tell Ally about my feelings?" Austin retorted.

"We're glad that you did," Trish said, nodding her head, "It's just that...Well, Ally is..." Trish swallowed hard, "Are you prepared to what _that _might do to you?"

"She's not going to die, Trish," Austin hissed.

"I believed that for a while, too," Trish said, her voice getting softer, "But a few days ago, we were getting out dresses for the dance and Ally really seems to believe that she is."

Austin met Trish's gaze, "Well, she's not. She's just scared."

"We're hoping for the best, too, Austin, but sometimes things can go out of our control. What will you do if something does happen?" queried Dez.

Austin hesitated before shrugging. He didn't like this subject at all. "I'll figure it out _if_ that time ever comes, but as far as I'm concerned, she's _not_ dying."

Dez and Trish remained quiet and slowly nodded. They trio continued on their food in silence, each one of their own thoughts scrambling around the What-If's.

. . . . . . .

"What are you writing?" asked Austin, walking into the practice room.

"A song," Ally said, grinning over at Austin. He smiled. He was happy that she hadn't stopped writing. In fact, he discovered that what she was going through only inspired her to write even more.

"Let's hear it," Austin said.

"It's not ready for listening yet," Ally grinned. Austin chuckled and sat beside her on the bench. He peered over at the paper and the messy scribbles of lyrics.

_Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep_

_Dreaming about the things that we could be_

_Baby, I've been, I've been praying hard_

_Said no more counting dollars_

_We'll be counting stars, yeah_

_We'll be counting stars._

"Seems like it'll be good," Austin grinned at Ally. Ally smiled at him. She was so happy that she could call Austin her boyfriend now and she was happy they were mature enough not to let any of it get weird between them. She could still write her songs and it wouldn't interfere with their relationship or vice versa. Ally focused on her paper as she thought again. If anything was going to get in between their relationship and/or songwriting, it would be the cancer. "What's wrong?" Austin asked, noticing her change in mood.

Ally forced a smile that didn't convince Austin. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Ally," he said.

"I'm fine, Austin," she repeated, "I just...Don't want to see you get hurt."

And there it was again. Another person telling him that Ally was going to hurt him, that Ally was probably going to die. But it wasn't just any person telling him this, it was Ally herself. "You're not going to die, Ally," Austin hissed. He was growing tired of people repeating this to him. Didn't anyone have faith? This cancer was survivable and Ally was strong; she could get through it.

"I'm not saying I will," Ally replied, "I just hope that you're aware of possibilities. You don't want me to die, I don't want me to die, but it's not our choice, Austin. We don't get a say in what happens to me anymore. This is out of our control."

The topic made Austin feel like vomiting. He cleared his throat, "Do you want to see a movie tonight?" asked Austin. Ally looked at him and knew that he was done with their conversation. Ally slowly nodded.

"Sure," she murmured softly. "How to Train Your Dragon 2?"

Austin grinned at Ally and nodded, "Sounds perfect." he said and then focused on helping Ally think of a melody for the song.

. . . . . . .

"That was pretty awesome," Austin said as they headed out of the theatre into the cool night air. Ally nodded in agreement. "Do you want to go for ice cream or something?"

"Sure," Ally smiled up at Austin, surprising him when she laced her fingers with his. He blushed slightly and smiled over at her. "I'm glad we're doing this," Ally admitted.

"Going for ice cream?" Austin arched his eye brows.

Ally laughed, slapping his side lightly, "No..._Being together_," she said, "I'm happy that we decided to do this."

"Oh." Austin mumbled before his lips curled into a grin, "Me, too. Have you told your parents yet?" he questioned.

"No," Ally said.

"Me either," he replied. "We should tell them together." Austin noticed Ally got quiet. "What?" he asked her, nudging her shoulder with his.

"It's...It's nothing. I just...I know what they're going to think, Austin." Ally murmured.

Austin frowned, "Ally, What are you talking about? What will they think?"

Ally sighed, "You know what," Ally said, "Because quite frankly, you and Trish are the only ones who really seem to think that I'm going to make it."

"That's because we know you, I know you," Austin retorted, staring into the eyes of Ally. "I don't care what they think, Ally. I know how strong you are, I don't care if they think I'll get hurt. I know you'll make and I know I want you and need you. That's all that matters to me."

"I care," Ally said, "I care about what they think, Austin. I feel like people are just waiting for me to die, like I'm on some sort of clock and the numbers are running low within every day," Ally explained, tears lining her eyes.

Austin stopped walking, forcing Ally to stop as well. He turned her so she was facing him. He looked down at her, staring at the tears that were fresh in her brown orbs. "You're not on a clock, no numbers are running low. You're going to get through this and then we're going to get your life back." Austin grabbed a tear with his thumb. "You're going to live until you're 100 years old, okay, Ally?"

"Okay," Ally whispered. Austin then wrapped his arms around Ally, pulling her in for a hug. Ally buried her face into his chest, sniffing. Austin didn't care that people were casting them odd glances because they were hugging in the middle of the street. He just enjoyed the moments of Ally in his arms while she was still well because he knew by next month that all of this would be over. He wouldn't get to take her to places like the ice cream shop or the movie theatre where she felt normal, where she felt okay inside.

"Let's go for ice cream now," Austin whispered into her air. Ally smiled slightly and nodded, pulling out of his arms and leading the way to the ice cream shop. Austin chuckled and let her guide him in the directions. He criticized her choice of directions, claiming that she takes the long way, but Ally begged to differ.

. . . . . .

Ally slowly stepped into her house, Austin trailing behind her. She still felt the after taste of Fruity Mint Swirl in her mouth and she was satisfied with it. "Ally?" Penny called.

"I'm here with Austin," Ally replied as Penny appeared in the doorway, Lester by her side. Penny and Lester grinned at the blonde boy who smiled in a greeting way at them. Ally looked up at Austin who gave her a comforting look. "We wanted to talk to you about something."

Penny slowly nodded while Lester looked at them oddly. "Alright," they said in unison.

"Let's take this to the living room," Ally said, kicking off her shoes and pulling Austin into the living room. Penny and Lester exchanged glances when they caught the duo holding hands.

Ally sat on the couch next to Austin who seemed more relaxed than she was. Wasn't he supposed to be nervous? They were telling her parents about their relationship! But Austin didn't feel nervous, because he knew Ally's parents would be understanding. He also knew they wouldn't make Ally feel any more miserable with her life than she already was.

"So," Lester said.

"So," echoed Penny, waiting on the teens to explain themselves.

"Austin and I...have decided to start dating," Ally quickly blurted, nervously. Penny and Lester's eyes darted between Austin and Ally, not speaking. Austin only smiled and nodded his head.

"Oh," Penny said, lifting her perfectly trimmed brows, "Dating?"

"Yeah, dating," Ally repeated, tapping her fingers onto her knee.

Penny took another moment, digesting the news before smiling, "I'm happy for you. Both of you." Penny knew how much Austin cared for her daughter and she knew how much time Austin had been spending worrying about Ally. She wasn't surprised that he would've fessed up to some feelings for her daughter.

"I, too, am happy for both of you," Lester said, "There's no one I'd rather you be spending time with than with Austin. I trust you, Moon." he said.

Austin grinned, "Thank you, Lester."

Ally let out a breath, "That was easier than I thought."

Austin stared at Ally's parents and wondered if Ally noticed the look on her parent's faces. They were worried about Ally, that was the huge factor, but the other factor irritated him: They had the looks of _Oh, Austin, you don't know what this might do to you._ But when Ally was smiling and telling her parents about what they'd done tonight, he knew she hadn't seen the look and he hoped she'd never see the look.

. . . . . . . . . . .

**Two Days Later**

"Mom, Dad," Austin said, "I need to talk to you."

Mimi and Mike glanced at each other before looking at their son. "Well, Alright," they chorused together. Austin wished Ally were here with him to explain to his parents about their new relationship, but Ally had decided she didn't want to come to share the news. Ally was afraid of what his parents would think.

"I like Ally," he said.

"Oh, we're so surprised," Mike said sarcastically before laughing along with his wife. Austin rolled his eyes. "Face it, son, You're not as secretive as you like to think."

"I wasn't finished," he hissed, "I told Ally and...she liked me back." Mike and Mimi looked at their son. "We decided to take our friendship to the next step...Ally and I have decided to start dating. I'm dating Ally."

Silence.

Then, "You're dating her?" Mike said, a little bit surprised. He knew his son liked the girl, but he never imagined he would ever confess it to her.

"Yes," Austin replied.

"Austin," Mimi said. Austin held his breath and silently thanked God that he hadn't brought Ally with him. Her tone would have crushed Ally's heart. "I...Did you two think this through? Did _you _think this through?"

Austin nodded, "Yeah, I thought about it a lot. It seemed to be the only thing I want right now. I have spent a majority of our friendship second guessing myself, I decided that I needed to tell her exactly how I felt. So I did. We're dating now and I'm happy."

"Austin-"

"-Don't tell me that she's going to die," Austin interjected with a dark look, "Because every person we've told has said the same thing to me."

"Then doesn't that tell you something?" Mimi asked Austin, "I love Ally, she's like the daughter I never had, but Austin you know about the possibilities-"

"-She's not going to die, Mom!" Austin snapped, frustrated.

"Austin, calm down," Mike told his son, "We're just hoping that you're thinking this through. Austin, you have strong feelings for Ally and now that you know that she has feelings for you as well, if something does happen to Ally, you're going to go through a lot of grief."

"Ally is also going to go through treatment soon and she's going to be very sick," Mimi sighed, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle that? It's going to put a huge toll on you emotionally. Are you sure you're prepared for that?" Mimi questioned. She knew she couldn't tell him not to see her, but she wanted him to think of his choices.

"Yes, Mom. I know she's going to get sick, I know the possibilities, I know it's going to hurt to see her that way, but Ally and I can do this. Ally can do this. I don't care if everyone thinks it's a bad idea that we start dating right now, we're doing it anyway." Austin said firmly.

Mike and Mimi shared a look, but decided that it was Austin's life, Austin's relationship and Austin's decision. They turned to look back at Austin and nodded. They smiled. "Alright. We're happy for you."

Austin felt relieved that they weren't going to make him break up with her. He smiled at his parents. "Thank you." he said. They slowly nodded. "I know this will be hard, but it'll be okay."

"I know," Mimi smiled, eyes glistening with tears.


	7. Chapter 7

**One Month Later**

"Are you ready for this?" asked Penny Dawson, staring at her daughter who was on the hospital bed, the bed reclined so she could be seated up. Ally looked at her Mom and shook her head.

"Not exactly," Ally's voice shook. Penny smiled softly, rubbing her daughter's hand. Lester was contacting Ally's grandparents, letting them know that Ally was going in for her first treatment. Penny offered to take a photo of Ally, but Ally refused. If Ally was going to survive this, she did not want to remember any of it.

Ally's heartbeat picked up when the hospital door opened but she breathed in relief when she saw that it was only her two best friends and her boyfriend who walked in. She managed a smile. "You guys came," Ally said, gleefully.

"Yeah, of course," Austin said, kissing the top of her head. He pulled up a chair so he could sit beside her. Trish sat up on the bed by Ally's feet and Dez stood at the end of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Trish gulped. She was trying to digest the fact that this was Ally's first chemo and possibly the journey to her death.

"Nervous," Ally whispered. Austin grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers, hoping his touch could calm her nerves. Ally smiled slightly over at Austin. He returned the warm smile.

"Don't worry," Trish told Ally, but it was ironic, because Trish herself was worrying.

"We'll make sure that an air bubble caught in the IV doesn't kill you," Dez grinned at Ally supportively, wondering if his teasing could suffocate the tension in the room. Ally laughed slightly.

Everyone's breath caught in their throat as a couple of nurses entered the room followed by the doctor. "How is everyone?" asked the doctor with a smile. Everyone responded with soft 'Fine' 'Good' 'Great'. Which were just simple lies.

The doctor spent his time writing things into his chart, asking Ally questions, and doing his best to put the family and friends at ease with small talk. But nothing would put Ally at is as the nurse grabbed Ally's hand and gently inserted the IV into her hand.

Ally gulped as she glanced up at the IV bags hanging on a metal bar. They were filled with the fluid of chemo. Ally's heart pounded as she watched the fluid drip down the iridescent tube and into Ally's veins. _So it begins. _

"I'm nervous I'm going to screw up with your eyes watching me like that," teased the nurse with a gentle joke cast towards Ally. Ally laughed slightly and found her stuttering heart was easing up as the nurse made small teasing remarks and Dez would add to it every now and then. Austin only watched Ally, studying each facial expression that crossed her features.

"Trish, You're going to have no finger nails by the end of today," Penny joked. Trish glanced at Penny before laughing slightly and pulling her finger tips away from her mouth.

"Nervous habit," Trish murmured. Penny smiled.

"Alright, Ally, so this is your first treatment," said the doctor, "There's a lot to expect. It isn't a myth that you will begin to feel weaker and less like yourself as the treatment does its work. The most common side effects of Chemotherapy are: Hair loss, fatigue, dizziness, vomiting or simple nausea, sores in your mouth and throat, your fingers may begin to feel tingly - your toes too, shivering and shakiness may occur, muscle burning or muscle pain, and headaches."

Ally slowly nodded, acting as if she was just casually listening but it was no secret to Austin that Ally was terrified of what the doctor just told her. Ally knew that the next long while was going to be rough and she was now starting to pray that she survived this. Ally pulls herself from her multiplying thoughts when she feels Austin's lips on her cheek.

"It's going to be okay, Ally," he whispered softly to her. The corners of Ally's mouth twitched into a small smile. Ally didn't quite believe his statement, but she still squeezed his hand.

Once the doctor dismisses himself to another patient, Trish pulls out a magazine. "How about some Katy Perry? She's always got juicy stuff to talk about," Trish said, flipping a couple of pages. Ally smiled at her best friend, grateful that Trish could ease her nerves slightly.

. . . . .

Austin slowly stepped inside Ally's bedroom. He saw her eyes fixated on her small TV which was playing a re-run of FRIENDS."Hey," Austin said softly, closing Ally's bedroom door behind him. Ally looked over at him and smiled slightly.

"Oh, hey," she said. Austin slowly walked towards her, setting down his binder onto her bed. Ally had reported that he helped her keep her homework up to date. The thought of falling behind on her schoolwork stressed her out and Austin wanted to make sure she was stressed as little as possible.

"Your Mom said you weren't feeling well today," Austin said, trying to work up a small smile but it never even twitched on his lips. Ally's chemotherapy was a few days ago and Ally had taken it well, no side effects until today.

"Yeah, I threw up this morning. Only once though." Ally admitted, "I've just been nauseas the rest of the day and my head kind of hurts."

"You didn't respond to my texts today," said Austin, "I was worried about you."

"My phone's over there on silent," Ally pointed across the room. Austin nodded and didn't bother to get irritated with her that she had worried him because he knew she wasn't well anymore. He made himself comfortable on the foot of her bed.

Austin unzipped his binder and took out a few papers, "I took notes for you in science," he handed her the paper. Ally looked at him alarmed: _Austin listened in class?_ "Oh, shut up," Austin chuckled.

Ally giggled softly, taking the paper and scanning it with her eyes. "You spelt hypothesis wrong," she said.

"Whatever," Austin said, giving her a soft grin. He handed her another sheet. "Trish copied these notes for you in English. That's all of your homework for today."

"Thank you," she said. Austin nodded. He looked over at her, noticing her eyes were getting those dark circles again, but other than that, she looked like Ally. Well, Ally with greasy hair, but he didn't mind that she hadn't showered today. He just wanted her to be better.

"You look sad," Ally commented.

Austin didn't even bother to force a smile, "I just want you to get better, that's all." he replied. The corner of Ally's mouth quirked, a smile barely existing. "Have you eaten since this morning?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I had toast for lunch and a granola bar an hour ago," Ally said. Austin nodded, focusing on the TV. He couldn't even laugh at Joey's character, he was just too upset today. "Cheer up, Austin, the side effects only last a few days."

"Yeah, until the next treatment and the next and then you'll start getting weaker and sicker," he sighed.

"You're thinking too far ahead. Don't do that. I have to force myself not to, it doesn't help dealing with everything," Ally said. Austin looked at her, letting her advice sink in. Ally was right; he should be focused on the here and the now, not what could happen to Ally a month or two months from now. But it was hard not to think about.

Austin stared at the TV for a while before glancing over to Ally, which was something he was starting to do a lot. Perhaps, glancing at her and making sure she was okay was becoming a habit. He noticed that she looked like she was in some discomfort while she was swallowing. He got concerned, "Alls, are you okay?" He nudged her hand.

Ally looked at her boyfriend and smiled slightly. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm just getting sores in my throat now."

Austin stared at her, "Is there anything you can do about it?"

"Yeah, Gargling salt water is supposed to help. I do it at night, but it only helps for so much. At least I haven't got them in my mouth," said Ally. Austin nodded. Austin moved the binder off of his lap and let himself lay next to Ally. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Ally curled into his chest, groaning as she did so. Austin rubbed her back lightly and the two focused on the television for the remainder of the evening.

. . . . .

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Austin smiled at Ally as she sat down at the lab table. She was slightly late and felt terrible for being late, but Austin's smile loosened her up slightly.

"Me, too," Ally said. Austin relaxed. She even sounded like herself. A couple days ago, the sores in her throat had made her voice husky and raspy, but they seemed to have gone away with the help of gargling salt water.

"What have you gotten done so far?" Ally questioned, sneaking a look off his paper for answers. Ally noticed they were all wrong. She looked at him once and he sighed, already erasing his answers. Ally giggled softly.

"Even without being here you're smarter than me," he said. Ally laughed again. Ally helped him understand the questions and get the right answers. "Hey, Ally," Austin said.

"Yes?" she replied, her eyes scanning over her science text book.

Austin cleared his throat, "So, Prom is obviously coming up and I know you really want to go," Austin said, "Mind if I was your date?"

Ally stopped looking at her textbook and focused on Austin. She smiled. "I'd love to go with you, but you do realize that prom is a month away?"

"Yeah, I know," he said, "Just wanted to make sure I got to go with you."

"Why wouldn't you?" she questioned.

Austin shrugged, "You heard about that junior who has a crush on you. I didn't want you going to that junior prom," he said. Ally laughed softly, shaking her head.

"I went to the junior prom last year. I would never go to it twice, especially when I can go to the senior prom with you," Ally smiled at him. Austin smiled back. He pressed his lips onto hers before they jumped apart when Ms. Jackson scolded them.

. . . . .

A couple weeks later, a nurse was towering over Ally who was laying on the hospital bed. "You're just going to feel a small poke," she said, inserting the IV into Ally's hand. Ally didn't care if anything poked her. She just wanted to sleep. She was exhausted from throwing up all day long and shaking uncontrollably. "This should keep you hydrated without having to actually put any contents in your stomach. I know you must be more tired than anything, Sweetie," said the nurse softly.

Ally slowly nodded, trying to manage a smile but she hardly mustered one up as she let her head relax into the pillows. Penny was sitting next to her daughter, bouncing her knee nervously as she kept brushing the back of her hand along Ally's burning face.

Ally wearily opened her eyes when the door opened suddenly and she saw Austin burst into the room. His hair was messy as he approached her with long, swift strides. He immediately leaned down and kissed her face, touching her cheeks with his palms. "Hey," he said, softly. Ally was pale, the dark circles nearly purple from beneath her eyes, and her lips weren't their rosy pink, but now a dull pink.

"Austin," Ally murmured tiredly, "What are you doing here? You have school."

"I know," he said, "Your Dad texted and said you have a really bad fever."

"Yeah, it's no big deal," she murmured. Austin could tell she was trying hard to keep her eyes open. He kissed her forehead.

"Just get some rest, Ally," he said. Ally didn't argue as sleep won her over. Austin backed away from the bed, finally looking away from her to look at Penny.

"Lester is just filling out some papers. Are you sure you should be missing school? I thought you told us you had a math exam last period?" Penny said.

"It'll be fine," he said, running a hand through his hair again. "Has she been like this all day?" he questioned, glancing back at Ally.

Penny nodded, "Yeah. She woke up very tired and started vomiting pretty violently. We thought it was just because her immune system was low or a side effect but about half an hour ago she was burning up with a very high fever. Lester and I called the hospital to have a bed ready. The doctors ran some test to make sure she's alright. They said it's normal for cancer patients to get fevers, but he said we need to keep watch because things can go wrong quickly."

Austin nodded, taking a deep breath and sitting down in the chair. He looked at Ally who was asleep. Her fever was so high that she had beads of sweat gathering around her hair line.

"You alright, Austin? You seem very stressed right now," Penny said, "You should go back to school, or at least go home. We've got her on watch."

Austin shook his head, "No, I want to stay here," he said. Penny nodded. The door opened and in walked Lester.

"How is she?" asked Lester.

"Sleeping," Penny replied, "the nurse said she was pretty dehydrated from vomiting."

Lester nodded, "I figured."

Lester sat down beside Penny, trying to convince her that Ally would be alright when he noticed the tears in her eyes. Austin just stared down at Ally, watching the facial expressions she made as she slept.

They were all taken out of their thoughts when the doctor entered the room. He grinned warmly, "The tests have been sent down to the lab. We should have the results by tomorrow morning. I'm sure that Ally is just fine. This is very normal for a cancer patient. Her immunity is low causing her to be more prone to fevers and sickness." he said.

They all nodded. Penny and Lester visited with the doctor for a little while, asking questions and seeking answers meanwhile Austin just stared down at Ally. He stroked her hair softly, smiling slightly when she subconsciously moved her head towards the warmth of his hand.

. . . . . . . .

Austin walked into the hospital room and saw Ally was laying on the hospital bed, her eyes opened as she watched the News Channel on the TV that was hanging on the wall. Ally looked over and smiled, "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Austin smiled, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Fever broke at sometime in the night," she told him and he nodded. Austin had felt guilty having to leave Ally last night and go to school all day today. "Don't look so down, I was fine. My parents kept me company. Trish skipped her morning classes and stayed, too."

Austin smiled slightly, "That's good," he said, "I didn't write you any science notes today, sorry," he grimaced. But Austin didn't pay attention in any of his classes. How could he when Ally was in the hospital?

"That's fine," she giggled.

"What did the doctor say?" Austin questioned, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"The tests didn't say anything. It was more of the flu than anything else. He said it's probably going to happen quite a few times because my immunity is so low from chemo," Ally said softly. Austin nodded, grabbing her hand. He looked up at the TV.

"This is boring," Austin said.

"I like the news channel," Ally argued. Austin grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels. Ally laughed slightly. "Oh, I almost forgot," Ally said, "I wrote this earlier. You'll have to put a melody to it. I'm not discharged for 48 hours."

Austin grabbed the paper and reviewed the lyrics. He smiled at Ally and nodded. "It seems really good," he said. He focused on her again, staring for a couple minutes before Ally sighed.

"Austin, you know that I'm okay, right?" Ally said. Austin swallowed hard and nodded. "I am," she reassured him. She grabbed his hand and held his palm to her forehead, "See, fine, perfectly fine."

"You're not perfectly fine, Ally," Austin growled, "You had a high fever and something could've been really wrong."

"But nothing was," she replied, looking him in the eye. Austin sighed, slouching back in his chair and focusing on the TV. His muscles felt tight and stressed: he needed a massage. No, he needed more than a massage, he needed his songwriter back, he needed his girlfriend to be better, to be healthy again.

The room fell silent. Neither of them swapping words, the only sound left in the room was the news reporter going on about global warming that's supposedly taking effect.


	8. Chapter 8

Austin was transferring science notes from his paper onto Ally's paper. He glanced over every now and again, checking on her as she slept peacefully on her bed. She had come home from the hospital yesterday, once her 48 hour stay was over and she was exhausted. The hospital wasn't the most awesome place to stay. The bed's got uncomfortable after a while (this was confirmed by Ally) and the nurses are constantly walking in the room during the night, waking you from your slumber.

Austin managed to keep Trish updated on Ally's health. She had skipped more school today so she could recuperate her health. Austin felt bad because in a week or two, Ally would have to go back into the hospital to get another treatment. Basically, Ally was getting better just to get sick again. How exhausting it must be.

"How's she doing?" whispered Penny, opening the door to Ally's room and poking her head inside. Austin looked up and smiled warmly at Ally's worried mother.

Austin gently reached over and touched Ally's body softly. "She's doing good. She hasn't woken up. She's gotten about an hour of sleep now." he said quietly. Penny nodded.

"Thank you for helping her with her schoolwork. She's very thankful and blessed to have you in her life," Penny smiled at Austin. Austin grinned and nodded.

"Thanks, Penny," he said. Penny nodded. She mentioned that she saved a couple plates for Austin and Ally to have dinner when Ally awoke. Penny then quietly shut the door. Austin glanced over at Ally before he noticed a piece of paper sticking out from beneath her pillow.

He furrowed his brows and took it into his hands. He unfolded the piece of paper and saw the messy scribbles inside. He read it.

_Dear God,_

_I'm really scared. Not just for me, but for Austin, my friends, and my family. They all love me very much and I love them so much more. Please, don't take me from them. I just turned 18 and I'm supposed to be graduating and heading off to college or maybe starting off my own music career...I have so much to accomplish, my life was just getting started, I want to live my life. I was just starting to really enjoy it and I want to enjoy it again. If You could, could You heal me? Or at least lend a helping hand? _

_Thank you for listening,_

_Ally._

By the time Austin finished reading the letter addressed to God, he was leaning against the wall, his palm cupped over his mouth as tears lingered inside his eyes. The tear drops grew heavy until his eye lids couldn't hold them anymore and they rolled down his cheeks. He tried not to whimper or make an uneven breath as he gulped down air. He needed to be strong. For Ally. For himself.

Ally was going to be just fine. She wasn't going to die, she wasn't going to leave him. She was going to get through this and when she did, they were going to celebrate and do everything and anything they've always wanted to.

Austin was holding in his sobs when he suddenly reached for the letter again. He flipped it over and found his pen. He started to scribble down a few words.

_Dear God,_

_You blessed me with Ally, I am so thankful. She's an amazing, talented girl and sometimes I wonder what the world ever did to be given such an angel. She's kind and always sees the positive in every situation. What did she do to deserve this? I love Ally. She's my everything. Please, don't take her away from me. There is no one quite like her. She's different, the good kind. Thank You again for her. You really should lend her that helping hand, because she truly needs it. Give her strength and the courage to get through these next little while and if You don't mind, I'm in need of those virtues as well. I have been so afraid since she told me her diagnosis. Don't take her from me. Don't take her away from the world. She's everything. Please heal her._

_From,_

_Austin._

Austin wasn't sure if you were supposed to end a prayer with 'From', but he didn't feel like there was anything wrong with it. He quietly folded the paper and placed it beneath her pillow. Dry tears had crusted beneath his cappuccino irises, so he rubbed his eyes. He focused on Ally's sleeping face.

Then something happened for Austin that never really happens often. His mind was filled with sudden lyrics and a melody. He silently hummed the melody inside his own head to himself. He tapped his fingers to a soft beat, not drumming them to loudly on his homework just in case Ally would wake.

He flipped his homework over and scribbled down the words in his mind onto the paper.

_The broken clock gives a comfort_

_it helps me sleep tonight_

_Maybe it can stop tomorrow_

_from stealing all my time_

_And I am here still waiting_

_though I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best_

_like you've already figured out_

Austin stopped writing as he stared at the words, blinking in astonishment. He wasn't even lying to himself when he thought these lyrics were good. Normally, he might think he had something fantastic and then he'd read them out and they would be awful. But not these ones, these ones made him feel proud of himself. He glanced at Ally, wanting to tell her what he'd written but he decides to save the news for when she's a little bit better.

Austin realizes that this song might become something and he really needed to write more words and get that melody tied into them. He gently slides off the bed after closing his books. He carefully stands up, packing his things. He looks at Ally, smiling softly as he leans down, gently and cautiously, he kisses her forehead. "Goodnight," he whispered into her ear. Ally stirs but doesn't wake.

Austin made his way downstairs and tells Penny and Lester to tell Ally that he needed to get home when she wakes up. They smile and nod, Penny hands him a container of food from dinner. He smiles gratefully and leaves the house.

Austin runs past his parents and gets up into his room when he returns home. Mike and Mimi glance at each other before shrugging and continuing their conversation. Austin sits down at his keyboard and lightly plays the melody that had been replaying over and over again in his head. He grins, nodding his head. He was so proud of himself.

As his fingers tap the keys, he gets more lyrics into his head. He grabs his book and finds the paper he was writing the words on. He unfolds it and scribbles down more lyrics.

_I'm falling apart_

_I'm barely breathing_

_with a broken heart_

_that's still beating_

_In the pain_

_there is healing_

_in your name_

_I find meaning_

_So I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm holding on_

_I'm barely holding on to you_

_The broken locks were a warning_

_They got inside my head_

_I try my best to best to be guarded_

_but I'm an open book instead_

_And I still see your reflection_

_Inside of my eyes_

_That are looking for purpose_

_They're still looking for life_

_I'm hanging on another day_

_Just to see what you will throw my way_

_And I'm hanging on to the words you say_

_You said that I will be okay_

_Broken lights on the freeway_

_Left me here alone_

_I may have lost my way now_

_I haven't forgotten my way home_

Austin dropped his pen and played a few more chords before finally ending the song. He took a deep breath and felt a grin split his face. He did it. He actually wrote a song. And a really good one, too!

Austin sprawled out onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, humming the song he just wrote to himself. He glanced at the clock. He hadn't realized that an hour had passed by. Songwriting really does make time fly.

Soon enough, Austin falls into a deep slumber.

**. . . . . . **

Austin was sitting alone in his science desk when a body dropped down in the chair next to him. Austin looked over alarmed and his eyes grew big when he saw Ally. She grinned tiredly at him, seeming to be out of breath.

"Hey," is the first thing that slips out of her mouth, breathlessly.

"Ally, you're here," Austin said, surprised.

"Yeah," Ally gulped some air, "I really wanted to show up today. I know you," More air, "hate school, but I personally," More air, "love it."

"Are you alright?" he questioned. Ally nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah, I ran up the stairs but then I had to," More air, "run back down because I forgot my pencil," More air, "Then I run up them again, before realizing I didn't have my notebook with me," More air, "So I run down, grab my notebook, double check my locker, run back up the stairs," More air, "Despite having to have checked my locker, I still managed to forget my essay for English that I needed to hand in," More air, "So I ran back down, grabbed my essay, ran back up," More air, "I was scared to be late so I booked it here and...Well...Now I'm out of breath," Ally explained.

Austin chuckled slightly. The story seemed to have made his insides relaxed. That was the Ally he knew and missed. "That's quite the work out." he said. Ally nodded.

"And you want to know the worst part of it all?" Ally questioned. Austin looked at her. "I still forgot my eraser," she groaned. Austin laughed and handed her his eraser. "Thank you," she told him. He nodded. He knew how Ally loved being prepared. Austin could care less if he was prepared or not.

Austin then grinned remembering what happened last night. "Guess what?" his grin managed to widen. Ally looked over at him and the wideness of his grin made her lips quirk into a soft smile.

"What?" she asked.

"I wrote a song last night. A good one. I think you'd like it," Austin told her. Ally's eyes widened and her smile got bigger.

"You wrote a song? A good one?" Ally repeated. Austin nodded, his eyes lighting up now that she was happy and excited. "Austin, I need to hear it! Today after school, we're going to your house and you're going to play it for me."

Austin nodded, "I like this plan," he said. Ally laughed softly. Their conversation was interrupted when Ms. Jackson walked into the room and demanded they opened their text books so she could begin her lecture.

**. . . . . . . . **

Ally was sitting down on Austin's bed as he sat at his keyboard. He kept his lyrics sheet and music sheet in front of him as he began to play. Ally smiled, excited to hear what Austin came up with. He sings her his song and by the time he has finished, Ally felt emotional.

It was the best song he'd ever written and Ally felt guilty that he felt that way. Ally couldn't gulp down her sad emotional as it rolled down her cheeks in fat tear drops. Austin grinned and turned around to face her but it slipped from his face. "Alls," he said, concerned, "What's wrong?"

He got up from the keyboard and sat beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and felt worried that maybe something was wrong. The comforting feeling of her boyfriend's arms around her made Ally sob. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started to cry into his shoulder. "Ally, What's wrong?" he questioned again.

"It's my fault that you feel that way," she blubbered sadly. Austin's eyes widened. What had he done? He didn't mean for her to feel guilty. Austin pulled her arms away from his neck and he looked her in the eyes.

"Ally, this is not your fault," Austin told her firmly, "You didn't ask to be diagnosed, it just happened. Maybe I do feel this way, but I only feel it because I love you and my choice was to love you and I love every minute of loving you," Austin paused, wondering if it made sense. When he decided it did make sense, he continued on, "It would hurt if you were going to through this and it didn't affect me at all." Ally slowly nodded agreeing, but she was still crying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have played it for you."

"No, no," Ally sniffed, "I liked it. I loved it, actually. I just hate that I'm causing all of this. I'm like the giant ball of depression and anger that keeps hitting everyone and hurting them. I'm so sorry," she croaked.

Austin shook his head, "That's not true," Austin said. "I love you, Ally. Don't feel guilty. It's not your fault, do you hear me?"

Ally nodded slowly, "I hear you," she whispered. Austin placed a kiss onto her head, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"Let's go do something," Austin decided. Ally looked at him. "You'll be doing treatment in a couple weeks, let's go do something. Let's go to the beach or get fruity mint swirl. We could go search for a pickle bouquet."

Ally laughed slightly, feeling the tears already drying on her cheeks. She used her sweater to wipe away the currently wet ones. She sniffed and looked at him. He was watching her with caring eyes. "Let's go find a pickle bouquet," she headed out his bedroom door, "they're very rare, you know," Ally's voice was heard faintly as she was already half way down the hall. Austin chuckled and walked after her.


	9. Chapter 9

Austin shuffled through the door and looked over at the hospital bed where Ally was now looking at him, smiling softly. Austin grinned warmly at her, "Hey," he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the beginning," he apologized, "That exam really took longer than I expected," he chuckled.

Ally smiled, "It's okay, Trish and Dez make great company," she said, gesturing to her friends who were in the corner bickering over whether or not animal print clothing was in style. Austin chuckled, leaning down and pecking Ally's dry lips softly.

"How are you doing?" Austin questioned softly and timidly. Ally smiled at him.

"Really good," she assured him. He nodded. Ally ran a hand through his hair. "I'm telling the truth. Stop worrying," she said, seeing the concern in his dark eyes. Austin nodded slowly. He parted his lips to say something when Dez interrupted.

"Get a room!" he teased. Trish smacked him with her purse.

Austin turned to his best friend, "We have one, it's you who needs to get out." he said. Dez's face paled. He hadn't expected that backfire. Trish and Ally burst into laughter.

"It sounds like a party in here," Lester chuckled as he walked into the room. Ally smiled at her Dad who handed her ice cold water. She took it into her hands and sipped on the straw, enjoying the taste of the cool water in her mouth. Austin took a seat next to Ally, running a hand over her hair as he watched her quench her thirst.

"You should be watching that boy," Dez said, pointing at Austin. Lester chuckled but Ally was thankful her Dad hadn't heard what Austin had said, because who knows how that would've ended.

"Glad you could finally make it," Lester said to Austin. Austin smiled and chuckled lightly, but deep inside, he felt bad that he couldn't make it for when Ally had first got here. He knew that she got nervous and normally need a hand to hold.

Ally noticed Austin's change in attitude, so she reached over and grabbed his hand. Austin smiled at her, noticing that she looked a little paler than yesterday. Ally smiled back at him. She tried to ignore the nurses who came in every so often to check on her and how the chemo was going. The doctor walked in, mentioning that Ally needs to keep hydrated to avoid anymore fevers.

Despite this, Ally is still forced into another hospital bed a couple weeks later with a burning fever that caused her hands to shake and her feet to tingle. Her father was talking with the doctor while her mother is contacting a few family members to keep them updated on Ally's situation.

"Sweetie, You need to sleep," Penny instructs her daughter, watching as Ally was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Ally groaned, "My entire body hurts."

Penny stared at her daughter with soft eyes, "I know, Sweetie. Just get some sleep and you'll be fine soon."

"Mom, Don't tell Austin," Ally said.

"Pardon me?" Penny's eyes grew in size, "Ally, Austin is always worried about you. I think we better call him to keep him updated."

"No, Mom, he's missing too much school and exams. Whenever I'm here he gets worried, so just...leave it. Don't tell him. I'll contact him when I'm a little bit better," Ally decided. Penny stared at her daughter before nodding. Ally knew Austin would be upset with her, but she hated that she was risking his education. Ally gets excused, Austin doesn't.

The doctor walks back into the room "Well, Ally, you're white blood count is very low. You'll definitely need to be staying here over night. We're going to keep you as comfortable as we can." he smiled softly at Ally. Ally nodded at her doctor. He noticed her drooping eyes. "Well, I'll let you sleep. Ring me if you need me." He then walked out.

**. . . . . . .**

Austin was calling Ally on her cell phone. He was worried. She hadn't been at school in a couple of days and she had only answered a couple of texts from him and hardly any from Trish. The phone rang three times before she picked up, weak and tired, "Hey."

Austin frowned, "Ally..." he said, "What's...What's been going on? You haven't answers my texts much and you haven't been at school."

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, but Austin didn't think she sounded okay. He heard the faint sound of 'Honey, I brought you some snacks. How are you feeling?' in the background and his heart started pounding harder when he swore he just heard an IV machine beep.

"Ally, where are you?" he questioned. He'd recalled driving past her house yesterday and nobody seemed to be home. He had assumed that her parents had done something themselves and Ally was home alone, but now he wasn't so sure.

Ally was stuck in hesitation before she quietly sighed and mumbled, "I'm at the hospital." Austin's eyes widened. She quickly said, "But don't freak out!"

"Ally," Austin snarled, "How long have you been there?"

"Austin, I don't want to do this right now-"

"How long have you been there?" he pressed, impatiently.

Ally sighed, "Two days."

"T...Two days?" Austin howled, slamming on his breaks. He was thankful that there were no cars around.

"Austin," Ally said softly.

"What room are you in?" he questioned, trying to bite back his anger. How could Ally not tell him that she was in the hospital?

"Floor 8, Room 134, hall B," Ally said quietly. Austin pressed down on the accelerator and started his way to the hospital.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed. There was no reply. "Ally, answer me right now. Why didn't you tell me?"

Ally sighed, "Because you always freak out - like you're doing right now."

"I am not freaking out," Austin growled.

"You don't keep up on your schoolwork and you miss too many days. If you knew I was here, you would've flipped and started missing out again. You need to focus on school right now." Ally said.

"You should've told me. How could you not tell me that you're in the hospital? I deserved to know, Ally," snarled Austin. Ally sighed.

"Austin, I'm too tired, I don't want to do this with you." she told him. Austin sighed. He nodded his head even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"I'll be there in a few," he mumbled, "Bye." he hung up his phone, completely frustrated with Ally.

When he arrived at her room. The TV was playing some Stand Up Comedy and Lester and Penny weren't anywhere to be found. Austin looked over and saw Ally lying down on the bed. She noticed his sudden presence and slowly looked over. She smiled timidly. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes.

Austin was still peeved that Ally hadn't told him about her current hospital stay. He slowly approached her and sat down in the chair next to Ally's bed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Ally murmured, looking at him.

"You should be," he growled. Ally sighed. Austin stared at her before deciding that getting angry with her while she was sick probably wasn't the coolest of things to do. He sighed. He stood up, leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead lightly. He felt how hot her skin was. He pulled away and pressed a palm to her forehead and cheek, "You're really hot," he said worriedly.

"We can't get the fever to go away," Ally told him, disappointment and sadness set inside her eyes.

"Have you been getting sick?" he questioned her softly. Ally hesitated before nodding her head. He frowned sadly.

"I keep throwing up," she told him. He nodded, raking his fingers through her long hair, "and I have sores in my mouth and on my tongue. My fingers are super tingly, I almost feel like I've lost my sense of touch."

"It'll go away soon," he promised, kissing her hot lips quickly. "You get some sleep," he demanded softly. Ally nodded, only now realizing how much easier it was to relax when Austin was next to her. She fell asleep right away.

The door opened and Austin looked over and saw her parents walk in, looking alarmed by his presence. He smiled politely.

"Austin," Penny said, blinking twice.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson," he greeted softly. It took a moment for the shock to wear off before Lester and Penny smiled at him.

"When did you get here?" asked Lester, "I can run down to the cafeteria and get something for you to eat."

"Thanks, Mr. Dawson," he said, searching his pocket for some change.

"Don't worry about it. My treat." he said kindly. Austin smiled and watched Lester leave the room after kissing Ally's head. Penny sat down in a chair and looked at Austin.

"She asked us not to tell you. She was worried that you might miss school again." Penny said. Austin nodded slowly. It was totally _amazing_ how being in the hospital could just down your mood 100%.

"I've heard," he mumbled, recalling his conversation with Ally. Penny sighed. She glanced at her daughter sadly.

"She won't eat," said Penny.

Alarmed by this information, Austin eyes widened as he said, "She what?"

Penny sighed again, "She's refusing to eat. Her stomach is completely empty which probably isn't helping her get better. She's got sores in her mouth so it's putting her in some discomfort when she eats and when she does force something down, she's running to the bathroom."

Austin slowly looked over at Ally. He touched her hair gently as he sighed. "She's pretty warm," he said. Penny nodded.

"We're hoping the fever breaks in the night or at least sometime tomorrow. She's stressing about homework. The teacher's have offered to excuse her from the assignments, but you know Ally," Penny laughed lightly. Austin chuckled slightly as well but it faded as he felt the worry for his girlfriend set in his gut.

"Do Trish and Dez know she's here?" Austin asked.

"No, Ally didn't want anyone to know she was down here. I guess you can contact them now." said Penny. Austin nodded, pulling out his phone and texting his friends. He assured them that Ally was going to be okay, the fever just needed to go down and she needed to eat. He also passive aggressively told them not to come. Austin wanted time with Ally and now that she gets sick, he hardly gets any time with her.

When Lester returned, he engulfed Austin in a conversation about his last gig performance (which Ally had unfortunately missed) and told Austin what a great job he'd done. Austin feels a little bit better as he drifts into deep conversations with Ally's parents and starts to feel like he's gotten closer to them.

_Ally was so confused. Why was everybody so sad? Ally looks around. Why was she outside? She looks down and sees herself standing barefoot on the grass. The blades tickled her toes which were painted with her favourite ruby red nail polish. That's when Ally noticed the hospital gown she was wearing. She gasped and tried to close the back where it opened, revealing her bare back. She relaxed when she realized she was wearing comfortable shorts beneath her gown. So, she didn't have to worry too much after all. She never did feel comfortable being naked in a gown that somebody had probably died in yesterday. (Sorry, but it's the truth!) _

_The sun danced around her milky skin and the wind tickled the hairs on her arms. It was a nice day, to be honest, but Ally wondered what she was doing outside in the first place. The last thing she remembered was her conversation with Austin and how awful she felt. She really didn't feel too bad anymore. She sighs. She really should have told Austin. It was rude not to. He's only worried about her, he doesn't mean to miss so much school. After all, if the roles were reversed, Ally would skip all of her classes if it meant making Austin feel better. Ally's thankful that Austin isn't the sick one. She wasn't sure how she would deal if he was. She can't lose him. _

_Ally frowns when she hears faded echoes of crying in the distance, but it wasn't just one cry, there were multiple cries. Ally looks around, but doesn't see anybody. Actually, Ally didn't know where she was. This didn't look like her yard or the hospital's yard. Ally makes careful steps along the grass and she's surprised that the amount of strength that is surging through her body. It's like she was never sick. Ally smiled at that._

_She finds her way around a tree and she jumps. Monuments everywhere with names, dates, and sad quotes engraved onto the shiny plaques. Ally looked up at the sky that was starting to cloud dully. The cries got a little bit louder. _

_"Are you okay?" Ally called out, but no response was received. Ally frowned. She looked around and saw how crowded the yard was with grave stones. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but she started to walk again. The grass was wet with dew and it tickled her feet. Ally could see the bottoms of her feet staining with mud. When had the grass become so wet? She felt rain drizzle along her body but she didn't shiver. She wasn't even cold. It was odd: Above her, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, and it was so warm, but when she looked away from her small little spot, the sky was dull, it looked quite cold, and the yard seemed so lonely with all of those stones. _

_As Ally continued to walk forward the cries got louder, the sobs more defined and sharp. Ally felt it wound her heart. As Ally drew closer, she suddenly saw a gathered crowd. They were weeping, pressing tissues to their noses. Ally recognized a lot of them. People from school, family members, her parents, and Trish, Dez, and Austin. What was going on? Who were they here for? Why hadn't she known about it?_

_Austin had his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground and his once sweet, coffee colored irises were now cold and hard with pain. His jaw was set and his hair was tousled. He wore a suit. Ally's heart hurt when a tear suddenly ran down his cheek in a fast motion, dropping from his chin onto his shiny black shoes. Dez was next to him, his once vibrant blue eyes were now sad and looked lonely. Tears lingered his eyes, too, but none of them dropped. He was whispering something to himself, maybe a prayer. Ally wasn't sure. Ally's soul ached when she looked upon her best friend. Poor Trish had cheeks soaked in salty tears. Her shoulders were shaking as she tried to keep the sobs inside. Trish was normally good with hiding feelings and never letting anyone see her cry, so for her to be so entirely opened like this meant something huge had happened. Ally felt a tear roll down her own cheek when she looked at her parents. Lester held a sobbing Penny while trying to keep up his strength, but he was ready to break. What had gone on here?_

_Ally looked upon a man she recognized to be a pastor. She recalled meeting him once when she went to a church. A couple of people were saying a few words about a young girl, that was all Ally took away. She wondered who it was for. She knew that the words must've been very kind and true, because the people gathered were shaking with sadness. _

_Suddenly, the pastor began to speak, and Ally could hear him this time. "She was a great friend to many. I met her when she was a small girl and she had the biggest smile. Ally was so beautiful and loyal. She loved learning and loved making friends. She wanted to make people happy. Her kindness is what drew everybody to her. Saying goodbye to Ally Dawson has got all of our hearts heavy with sorrow, but Ally's suffering is over. Ally is with the Lord. She is happy. I believe that's all we need to let her go."_

_Ally cupped a hand over her mouth. This was her funeral. Her very own burial. Ally was dead. Ally shook her head, tears falling faster. She didn't want to die. She didn't care about the sun shining upon her right now. Ally couldn't believe she was attending her very own burial. When had she died? Ally shook her head, unsure of what to think. Ally wasn't happy like the pastor said she was, she was distraught and scared. As Ally stared along the people who were paying their respects to her she recalled telling her friends and family about how much she wished people would hear her and not look over her or push her around, but this was not the way she meant to draw a crowd. _

_"Please!" Ally called, "Do you hear me?" she yelled. No response. Of course they wouldn't hear her. She's dead. "No! Don't let me fade away!" Ally was already flickering. "No! Austin! You have to hear me! Austin! Austin! Please!"_

Even with the lights turned out, Austin wasn't very tired. He decided to play on his phone. He was covered in a soft blanket while sitting in one of the reclining chairs in the hospital room. Austin was grateful that Penny and Lester let him stay overnight with Ally. He had assumed they would want to stay, but they insisted that he did considering they had stayed over the last couple of nights when he hadn't known about Ally's whereabouts.

Austin suddenly heard Ally calling for him, strangled in her own whimpers. Alarmed, Austin jumped off the reclining chair and rushed to Ally's side. She was tossing, tears rolling down her cheeks. He shook her lightly. "Als," he whispered. As her calls for him got louder and her sobs became sharper, Austin shook her more urgently, nervous she'd wake other patients in the rooms next door, "Ally," he said louder.

"Ally!" The voice echoed in Ally's ears as her eyes shot open and she jolted upwards suddenly. Her breaths were sharp gasps while her heart thumped against her ribcage. Ally could hear herself whimpering and nearly taste the salt of tears on her cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey..." Austin cooed softly, stroking his hand along her hair, holding Ally tightly as he was now sitting on the bed. Ally tried to gulp back air. "Als, it's okay. I'm right here." he whispered. Ally held onto him tightly.

"I...I was..."

"It's okay, It was just a bad dream. You're fine." Austin assured her. Ally nodded, feeling safer now that she wasn't dead, but also feeling one hundred times more afraid.

"You're here," she whispered, clutching onto him. Austin nodded, kissing her temple.

"Yeah, your parents went home. I'm staying the night." Austin said. Ally nodded, not objecting to it. "Your fever broke while you were asleep. The doctors are considering letting you home tomorrow."

"Good," Ally breathed. Ally tried to get a grip on reality, but the dream kept playing over and over in her mind. "Don't let me die," she whispered. Austin tensed. Ally felt horrible for mentioning anything, but now she was afraid and needed him to comfort her and tell her that she was going to be okay. And that's what he did.

"You're not going to die, Ally. Ever. Not until your 99. Okay?" Austin said. Ally sniffed and nodded her head. "You're going to be perfectly fine. You're getting through this and then we're going to continue with our music."

"Okay," her voice shook. Austin hugged her tightly. Ally felt tired again. She glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly midnight. "Can you lay with me?" she asked, not wanting him to leave her side. Austin focused on her for a moment before slowly nodded.

"Yeah, of course." he said. Austin helped her get comfortable on the bed before he lay down beside her. He stroked her side, kissing her head as she buried her face into his chest. "Is that what you dreamt about?" he dared to ask softly. Ally slowly nodded.

"I dreamt I was...I was at my own burial and everyone was gathered around. I was trying...trying to tell you that I was still there, but you and everybody else couldn't hear me. I started fading away." Ally whimpered. Austin shushed her and kissed her head.

"You're still here and I can still hear you. You're not fading." he said.

"What if it's a sign?" Ally wondered.

"Don't say that," Austin snarled, "You're not dying nor are you going to."

Ally nodded her head, "Okay," she whispered. Austin stroked her back until she fell to sleep again. He kissed her head every so often until eventually he fell asleep, too.


	10. Chapter 10

**I am going to answer some questions that have been frequently asked about my stories, either through the reviews or private messages**

**[The Stars Shine For You]**

**Question: Does Ally still have hair?**

**Answer: Yes, Ally still has her hair. You will be informed when Ally loses her hair through the chapter that it occurs.**

**[Wild Thing]**

**Question: Is Ally a "Bad Ass" in all of your stories?**

**Answer: No. She is not. The only stories I have written that Ally has been considered a "Bad Ass" is Untouchable and Wild Thing. **

**[Wild Thing & Untouchable]**

**Question: Why did you make Ally so opposite from her original personality?**

**Answer: Ally is known for her sweet, delicate, and angelic traits. I wanted to challenge myself in her character and I guess everyone has considered Austin the "Bad Boy", I wanted to switch roles and see how it would look if Ally were to be the bad one. It was simply just an idea that popped into my head.**

**Question/Plea: Can you please consider making your chapters longer?**

**Answer: I am extremely happy that my writing pleases you and you want more of it. It's a great feeling, really. Although, it does happen to take me a while to write these chapters, short or long, because in my writing I happen to be a perfectionist and I actually rewrite the chapters, most times more than once. It takes me a while to write out each chapter, generally it takes me 1 hour - 3 hours to write out a chapter depending on how many pages I've written. I'm more than happy to write longer chapters, but please acknowledge that it does take me some time to write these chapters and if you are expecting a longer chapter, it may take me longer to update. (But I wouldn't worry too much about that.)**

**Question: Would you be willing to co-write a story with me?**

**Answer: Unfortunately, I do not co-write my work. To be honest, I am often writing poetry and music, creating my own little stories in my head and jotting them down, thus resulting in the fact that I do not co-write anything due to not being available or reliable. I am also not all that interested in writing with anybody else, because my mind swims with different ideas as I start writing the story and it'll just be a big mess otherwise!**

**[Total Random Question I Had Been Asked]**

**Question: Who is your favourite character on Austin and Ally?**

**Answer: Ally Dawson is my favourite character. She is my favourite character, because firstly, I think she's funny and cute, and secondly, I don't care that she's a fictional character, I feel like I look up to her (despite her kind of being 'not-real'.) I actually have crippling social anxiety and social anxiety links into the fact that I am VERY afraid of speaking in front of crowds, so yes, I do have stage fright. This affects me in a large way because I want to be a spoken word poet. A spoken word poet is just what it sounds like: it is someone who performs their poetry in front of an audience, my biggest dream, but I often feel like I can't do it because of my stage fright which sucks. But Ally got over it and I hope that I will, too. (Maybe I'll just find me an Austin Moon!)**

**A Thank You Note: I wanted to say thank you to everybody who has reviewed my stuff (including the ones who have favourited and followed my work). I find it very odd that people actually like my work, I wasn't expecting that, so thank you very much. Thank you for the very beautiful and kind comments and notes that you make about my writing. I just so happen to be an aspiring writer who dreams of becoming an author and a famous poet, when you guys make those very lovely remarks about my work and my writing, it lifts up my spirit and has me believing that there is a chance I can make it. Thank you so much! **

**Ok. Now...The story...!**

"I'm really glad you're feeling better now," Trish said, sitting down next to Ally on the floor. It had been three weeks since Ally got out of the hospital. Ally was surprised that Dez and Trish hadn't gotten mad that Ally hadn't told them about her getting so ill. It had also seemed that Ally had a fever after every treatment, Ally was starting to wonder if it was ever really that big of a deal anymore.

"Me, too. I'm sorry for getting sick all of the time." Ally apologized, smiling sadly at her best friend. Trish shook her head.

"Ally, it's not your fault. Don't apologize. You don't ask to get sick. You never asked for any of this. How many times do I have to tell you that?" she wondered. Ally shrugged. "Well...Are you excited for Prom?" Trish asked.

Ally smiled wide. _Prom._ It was only a couple of weeks away. Ally had been searching online for dresses and she already had her top two choices. She had a choice between a sleek black one that wrapped tightly around her body or a beautiful red one that flowed along her figure nicely. "Has anybody asked you to Prom?" questioned Ally to Trish, "Austin asked me last month."

Trish smiled at her best friend before shaking her head, "No...Nobody's asked me. But if Dez doesn't get asked to Prom, I'll just force him to take me."

"You're going to go to Prom with Dez?" Ally questioned, her eyes bugging from her skull.

"Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures," Trish said. Ally laughed. "So, Austin asked you last month, huh?" Trish nudged her.

"Well, Yeah. He is my boyfriend, is he not?" Ally said, smirking lightly at her best friend. "He said he was nervous I would go with somebody else."

"Go with somebody else?" Trish scrunched her nose, "Why on earth would you do that when you have a boyfriend like Austin Moon?" Trish questioned.

Ally shrugged, "Don't ask," Ally said. Trish laughed. Ally then started playing with her finger tips. "You know...I...I found something a few days ago," Ally murmured.

Trish got nervous. "What is it, Ally?" she asked.

Ally took a deep breath. She glanced into the kitchen where she could hear Dez and Austin laughing about something. Ally got up from the floor and snatched her wallet from the table. She sat down next to Trish, cross-legged.

Ally pulled out a folded piece of paper from the money pocket in her wallet. Ally glanced at the kitchen again before looking at Trish and speaking lowly, "I wrote a prayer on a paper one night. I stuck it under my pillow so nobody would read it. When I got back from the hospital, I went to read it again and Austin had written in it."

"And?" Trish pressed.

Ally swallowed hard and she unfolded the paper. She showed Trish the prayer that Austin had written. Trish read over the prayer and tears nearly came to her eyes before she pushed them back. She looked at Ally, confused. "He's stated multiple times that he loves me," Ally whispered, "I'm scared that he's going to tell me at Prom or even before then. I don't want him to tell me that."

"Why?" Trish queried.

"Because I don't know if I can say it back," Ally said. Ally folded up the paper, hiding it away in her wallet.

"You don't... love Austin?" Trish quizzed her friend, not quite understanding what Ally was trying to say. Trish was sure that Ally loved Austin. They spent so much time together, they understood each other, and everybody could see the way Ally looked at him. This just wasn't making much sense to her.

Ally hesitated, "I don't."

"You hesitated," Trish said.

"That doesn't matter. I don't love him, Trish." Ally said, "I like Austin, I do. But I'm not sure if I love him. What's going to happen if he tells me that he loves me and I can't say it back? He's going to break up with me. I don't want to lose him, but I can't lie to him and tell him that I love him if I don't."

"Maybe you're just not ready for that yet," Trish said, "If you care enough to not want him to break up with him, you at least love him a little bit."

"I guess," Ally whispered, tears lining her eyes. She did not want Austin to break it off with her. She liked him so much and she was thrilled that they were finally together, but did she love him? Ally knew that it would tear her apart to lose him and she always felt sick when she thought of Austin leaving her, but she didn't love him. Not yet anyways.

"The popcorn is made!" Austin said, setting it down in front of the girls. He grinned, turning to look at Ally before his grin slowly faded when he saw the salty tears that Ally hadn't blinked away yet. He glanced over at Trish who didn't look teary at all, giving him the hint that it had nothing to do with the two of them. It was strictly Ally's own feelings.

"Are you okay?" Austin murmured softly to his girlfriend. Ally slowly nodded, her tears drying as she forced a smile. Austin stared at her for a few more moments before he nodded, too. Dez had put in a movie and curled himself up against a soft chair. Austin scooted over next to Ally, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she nestled herself into his side. Trish secretly sulked over the fact that she didn't have a boyfriend and curled a pillow to her chest while she focused on the screen.

The foursome was celebrating Ally being out of the hospital. Ally's parents were out of the house for the night, giving them the house to themselves. It was exciting. They're night consisted of: Deep, random conversations, board games, taking photos, baking, and Trish and Dez getting into mean squabbles.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Austin whispered into Ally's ear. Ally glanced up at him and nodded, but the fact that Austin loved her was eating at her guts. She cared deeply about Austin and couldn't imagine doing anything without him, but she could not decide if she loved him or not.

"Yeah," Ally muttered, "Um...I'm going to get something to drink." Ally excused herself, getting up from her spot on the floor and walking away and into the kitchen. She paced around the kitchen before she started to feel slightly nauseous. Her nausea grew into a massive dizzy spell. Ally grabbed onto the cupboard, blinking several times as her vision began to swim.

Back in the living room, Austin poked his Latina friend. "Trish?" Trish looked at Austin and saw the worried look in his gaze. "Is Ally okay?" Austin asked.

Trish smiled, "Yeah. I think she's just overwhelmed by a lot of things. But she'll figure it all out soon-" Trish was interrupted by the sound of a loud thud. Eyes widening, the trio in the living room dashed to the kitchen where they found Ally on the floor.

Austin got down beside her, his mind in a panic. Trish and Dez got down next to Ally as well, feeling worried. Austin collected Ally's face in his palms, "Ally," he called. It didn't take long for Ally to respond. She squinted before her eyes fluttered.

Ally groaned lightly. Her mind was foggy and she didn't understand why her three best friends were surrounding her. "What happened?" she moaned.

"I think you fainted," Trish said worriedly. Ally frowned, breathing in deeply as she tried recollect her memory for what had gone down. She recalled feeling woozy not too long ago, but she didn't worry too much about herself because she felt okay now. She figured it was just a head rush.

"How long was I out?" Ally wondered, her voice slightly raspy.

"Literally like a minute," Trish answered.

Ally glanced over at Austin. His hands were no longer on her face. His finger tips were tapping her wrist lightly with anxiousness as he was already pulling out his cell phone with his other hand. Ally grabbed his hand. "No, Austin, don't call anyone."

"Ally, you just fainted." Austin deadpanned.

"Yeah, you should probably get checked out," Dez agreed. Ally shook her head.

"No, I feel fine now. It was a head rush." Ally told them. Austin looked at his girlfriend, contemplating whether or not to click 'CALL'. Austin glanced up at his red-headed and Latina friends. By the looks on their faces, they were unsure of what to do as well.

"Ally, I think we better call the hospital or at least your parents. There could be something wrong." Austin decided. Ally shook her head, gripping his arm tighter.

"No, Austin, don't. Please." Ally begged, "I don't want to go to the hospital. I'm sure it was just a head rush. I feel okay now. Besides if I go to the hospital, they're just going to tell me to sleep. I can sleep here."

Trish placed the back of her hand along Ally's forehead and cheek. "She doesn't have a fever," Trish informed the group.

"She's pale," Austin deadpanned, staring down at Ally.

"Well, of course she's pale. She fainted." Trish said, "But I think she's okay. She's responsive. She didn't take long to regain consciousness. I don't think she hit her head on anything."

"I'll get you something to drink," Dez said, jumping up and walking to the fridge.

Austin stuffed his phone back into his pocket, "Alright," he mumbled. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and very carefully and slowly, helped her sit up. Ally felt weak and she was still slightly dizzy from taking the spill on the floor. Ally ran her palms over her face. "Ally-"

"-I'm fine," Ally interjected, sending him a weary look. Dez rejoined the group, handing Ally a glass of water. Ally took the water and slowly gulped it down. Her friends stared at her with concern. She finished the water and took a deep breath.

Ally swiftly moved to stand up causing her friends to panic. "Whoa!" they all chorused. Ally sighed, annoyed that they were hovering so much.

"Guys, I've got it," she snapped.

"Just let us help you, Als," Austin said. Ally rolled her eyes. Austin was slightly surprised because it wasn't like Ally to give off bad attitude, but he ignored it when she let Austin and Trish help her up from the floor. Austin kept an arm around her, making sure that she was stable. Ally leaned into Austin for support.

"How do you feel?" asked Trish.

"I feel fine," Ally assured her best friend. Austin stared down at his girlfriend and wondered if she was really fine. Ally felt Austin's stare drilling into her head. She peered up at him beneath her dark lashes before looking away. Dez and Trish exchanged glances knowing that Austin obviously wanted a word with Ally.

"Um, We'll be in the living room," Trish said, pulling Dez along with her. Austin waited until they were out of ear shot.

"How do you really feel?" Austin questioned, turning Ally around so she was facing him completely. He stared into her dark eyes, trying to read them.

"I said I feel fine," Ally responded, her voice sharp. Ally was getting annoyed with his constant worrying. She appreciated that he did, but sometimes it did get on her nerves.

"Really? Because your hands are shaking," he sent her a look as he grabbed her hands, his thumbs massaging her palms. He knew she was weak and most likely tired.

Ally sighed. "Austin, it's fine."

This time, it was Austin who sighed. "Ally, maybe you should just go to bed. I mean, you did just faint. You probably shouldn't push your limits. You hate those hospitals." he said, "Even though, you should be in one right now." he mumbled. Ally ignored the comment.

"No, tonight we were supposed to have a good time. My parents are out and we haven't had a good time since this whole thing started." Ally argued.

"We can have more good times, Ally. You should really rest tonight. You don't want to get sick again. Especially with Prom coming up." Austin said, nudging her arm lightly. Ally sighed, her gaze shifting to the floor.

"I just wanted one night," Ally's voice cracked, "One night where I wasn't sick and nothing went wrong."

Austin held her close to him. "I know," he murmured into her hair.

"Tonight was going great, too. I was actually starting to feel like myself again and then this happened. I'm tired of always being sick." Ally admitted, a tear leaking down her cheek swiftly. Austin nodded his head, capturing the tear with the pad of his thumb.

Austin hesitated before saying, "Come on...I'll take you to bed."

Ally sighed and nodded. Austin wanted to fulfill her wishes and allow the night to go on as fun as it was, but he couldn't bring himself to risk her health. He hated that she was cooped up in the hospital and over the last two to three months, Ally has had a fever each month and ended up in the hospital.

Austin followed Ally up to her room, feeling slightly guilty. He wished that he could make her happy, but he didn't know how. There was nothing Austin could do that would make her truly happy. He knew the only way she would be truly happy was if the cancer was gone.

Ally crawled onto her bed. She looked up at Austin who stood over her, staring down at her with nothing else but care in his eyes. Ally sighed again. She looked up at the ceiling. "When will things just be normal again? When will I be better?"

Austin felt his throat tighten. He shrugged, crouching down beside her. He ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know," he murmured, his voice husky from the lump that was inside his throat. Ally looked over at him and he noticed that the whites of her eyes were stained red with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry, Ally," he whispered. He lowered his head so she wouldn't notice his tears.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Ally questioned him. Austin didn't respond, he just kept his head lowered. After a minute, he couldn't hide it any longer as his shoulders start to shake up and down. Ally knew he was crying. She ran her fingers through his hair as she tried to relax him, tears falling from her eyes and onto her cheeks.

After a few moments of watching Austin cry, Ally couldn't hold it back either and started weeping, too. She sat up and wrapped her arms around Austin, just as he wrapped his arms around her. They held each other tightly, only crying into each other's shoulders to fill the silence in the room.

After a while, they both had stopped crying. Austin released Ally from his hold and laid her down on the bed again. He felt ten times better now that he had finally unleashed his emotions. Ally smiled at him slightly, her eyes slightly puffy.

"You get some sleep," Austin whispered to her, fixing a strand of hair that had fallen out of place. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. Ally responded to the kiss, her lips massaging his before she pulled away.

"It's going to be okay," she murmured to him, gently.

Austin smiled slightly, "I know," he whispered. He kisses her forehead again.

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone." Ally asked and told him. Austin looked at her. He slowly nodded. He moved so he was on the bed with her, laying behind her with his arm wrapped around her. He kissed her cheek softly and started running his fingers along her side soothingly.

He watched her as she closed her eyes and began to drift away into a peaceful sleep. He stayed for a few extra minutes before he finally left her room and made his way downstairs where Dez and Trish were talking in hushed voices.

"How is she?" questioned Trish when noticing Austin's existence. She recognized that his eyes were slightly red and she knew that they must've had an intense moment up there. She couldn't lie: She had heard Ally crying.

"She's asleep," Austin replied, "She was pretty tired."

"I bet," Trish said, "And how are you?"

Austin was surprised by the question. He wasn't used to be asked this question. He was so focused on making sure that Ally was okay and comfortable and well all the time that even he seemed to forget to ask himself that question. Austin shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. I just want her to get better."

"Us, too." Dez and Trish said in unison. Austin sighed. They all looked at the movie that was playing, but it wasn't as fun to watch without Ally's company. Eventually the trio turned off the movie, gathered their things and travelled up the stairs to Ally's room. If Ally couldn't be at their small party, then they'd bring the small party to her. (Even if she was asleep.)

Dez and Trish made their own beds on the ground and Austin made himself comfortable on the bed next to Ally. The simple essence of Ally allowed Austin to fall asleep quickly. She calmed him, even while asleep.

**Sorry for the shortness :(**

**I'll try to make the next chapter longer...**


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